#dory x drew

[leonisloresmith]

Finally came up with more about my take on JD’s husband. His name is Drew

[sunnixsunshine]

Whyyyyyy is John Dory hard to draw both troll and human??? 😩

[ham-le-tii]

Chaz is the first one to make the connection.

He thinks they sleep in a similar manner while Branch is under the influence of smooth jazz.

From this headcanon

[ohposhers]

hihi!! love your stuff!! i remember coming across one of your artworks with jd and trollex and it inspired me to draw jd as, well, a john dory! (i drew this on ms paint please bear with me)

also a little thing id like to request is creek x riff x floyd.... i dont think ive seen it before, i think itd be very cool!

i unironically love your john dory john dory art so much i made it a sticker on Discord, thank you so much for drawing me peak art i couldnt not return the favor-- why choose when you can have TWO idiots

[storiesfromafan]

Late Night Moments - Benny x Reader

A/N: I don't think I like this that much...but I'm stilling going to post it.

I'm suffering from writters block, and my headspace isn't that great right now. But I'm trying to still write anything.

The soft tap-tap at your window finally woke you up. Half sitting up you rubbed your eyes before turning on your bedside table and looking at the time; just after midnight. Once more there was a soft tap-tap to your window.

“What the...” you sighed, before slipping from your warm, comfy bed.

Slowly shuffling toward the window, there it was again; tap-tap. Annoyed for whatever it was that was ruining your sleep, you pushed back the white curtains. Looking down from your window on the second floor, you took in the darkness of the night. Only the street lights offering small bouts of light.

Then you saw him. Even in the night you could tell it was Benny. He was standing below your window, and when your eyes adjusted more you could see small rocks scattered by your window on the roof. That’s what the noise was. Benny had been throwing rocks to get your attention. A smile grew on your lips, your stomach a flutter with butterflies. Partially excited to see Benny, but also worried if your father found him out the front of the house.

Almost a week he’d been gone, you were sad without him around. And you weren't sure when Benny would be back in town. He must have gotten back this evening, and no doubt he’d been at Grand and Division catching up with the Vandals. Which you understood. But Benny showing up this late at night meant he couldn’t wait to see you. And it warmed your heart.

You noticed Benny was doing something, your brows drew together in confusion before you recognised he was gesturing for you to come down. You looked back towards your bedroom door, a bit of a nervous habit, before turning back and putting up one finger. Which was to tell Benny to give you a minute, you closed the curtain and moved across your room to your bedroom door, until you recalled that you were in your night dress. So quickly you moved to your closet, choosing to put on a three quarter sleeved sweater, dark slacks and some flats. And before heading out you quickly brushed your hair and put it up in a ponytail. You weren’t trying to win a beauty contest. Plus you’d just been woken up. Yet you were eager to see your man.

Slowly and quietly you closed your bedroom door, before creeping down the hall to the stair case. With all your stealth you walked down the stairs, across the lounge room and opened the front door. Once outside, the door closed with minimal sound, you turned to the front yard of your house and Benny, who waited by the foot path and just out of any light.

Walking towards him you noted how his hands were in the pockets of his jacket, his gaze following your every move. All you could do was admire your boyfriend, who gave off James Dean vibes. From his rebel without a cause air, to that smouldering gaze he gives you when smoking a cigarette. Your man oozed sex appeal. Why he ever chose you was beyond you. If he was James Dean, you’d be more like Doris Day. He was a bad boy, and you the girl next door.

No wonder your parents disapprove of your relationship. And though they might voice it, they never get fully involved. They just hope you’d wake up and come to your senses. Unfortunately for them, you weren’t giving up Benny. Not now, not ever. With him you felt seen and heard, like you were more then what people see when they look at you.

Reaching Benny, he removed his hands from his pockets before you were close enough to wrap an arm around you. Holding you close, Benny steered you down the street to his motorbike. He didn’t want to alert your parents to his presence. The walk seven houses from yours, Benny whispered how much he missed you and couldn’t wait to see you. You giggled and held onto the hand, that was attached to the arm around you.

Reaching his bike, Benny stopped by it, encasing you in his arms as he leant down for a longing kiss. You wrapped your arms around his neck, happy to lock lips with this fine man. Pulling back you smiled brightly at Benny, who gave you one of his knee weakening smiles in return.

“You must of missed me, huh?” You asked with a giggle.

Benny pulled you close to him. “Always, baby".

Your heart sang at his words. This man always brightened your mood from just being in your space. He made you so unbelievably happy. You just couldn’t understand why your parents couldn’t get that through their thick heads. If Benny asked for you to be his forever, you’d gladly say yes.

“I know it’s late, but wanna go for a ride?” Benny asked, surprising you that he’d still want to ride around after getting back from a run with the boys.

You nodded your head. “Of course Benny, I’ll always ride with you”.

Benny shot you a brief toothy smile before untangling the two of you. Getting on his bike, Benny made quick work of starting it up before holding out his hand to you. Without hesitation you took his hand and swung your leg over. Once settled behind him you wrapped your arms around his waist. Making sure you were set, Benny soon pulled away from the curb and headed further from your house.

He rode through the streets and then the main street of town, heading out toward the open fields and scares farm houses. You held on tightly to Benny, enjoying the feel of him and his warmth. And he was enjoying it too, having the two things he cared most in this moment, you and riding his bike. Benny rode till he reached your spot, a small lake with some trees. It was a place you both discovered one afternoon on a ride. From then on its where you both go to be together.

Benny helped you off the bike and you moved to stand by the lake, while he finished parking his bike. Once done you heard him make his way to you, and then you felt him wrap his arms around your waist and his face burying in the crook of your neck. You smiled at how needy he could be sometimes, but welcomed it whole heartedly.

“You must have missed me a lot" you giggled.

Benny pulled you closer to him, holding you tighter. “Yes, baby".

Your heart sang at his reply. “I missed you terribly” you admitted. “I hate when you go on runs with the guys. But I understand it’s your thing, and you can do what you want".

Benny pulled back and placed a kiss to your temple. “I know ya do. I’m glad you don’t try to change me".

You turned around in his hold, moving your hands to wrap around his neck. “I don’t want to change you Benny, or else you wouldn’t be the bad boy I fell for".

Benny chuckled before leaning in and placing a soft kiss to your lips. “Bad boy you fell for, huh?” He whispered against your lips.

You blushed, burying your face against his shoulder in embarrassment for admitting your feelings for the Vandal. Feelings had never been discussed between you, though you both knew how you both felt for each other. In such a short time – a month – you knew you were in love with Benny. No other man had made you feel like Benny, even if you had only went on a couple dates with the other guys. Yet with Benny there had been no first date, he just claimed you in a bar full of Vandals. Letting them know you were his girl.

Benny didn’t even know you when he did this. He just walked up to your table were you and a couple of your friends were, sat down next to you and gave you that Benny charm, along with flirting. You spent most of that night talking, learning about the man beside you. You were intrigued right from the moment he sat down, and you only grew more into over that night. There was something about Benny that drew you in, and by the time you left, you were trapped in his net.

You left with your girl friends, as you got a lift from them. But Benny did try to get you to let him take you home. You were nervous to tell him it might not be a good idea, as your parents might not like him taking you home. Benny understood, but made sure you agreed to go for a ride with him the next day. You agreed, wanting to spend more time with him. From there it was history.

Benny pulled back, moving a hand to grab your chin and bringing your face into view. You looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes. But when he asked for you to look at him, you couldn’t deny him. Looking upon his face you saw a warm smile, which sparkled in his eyes. Your heart skipping a beat at the sight.

His hand holding your chin held you in place as Benny moved in to kiss you once more. It was soft and tender, taking a moment to enjoy how soft your lips are compared to his slightly chapped ones. You moved your hands to hold on to Benny’s denim vest, needing to ground yourself to something. Then he ran his tongue along your bottom lip, asking for permission this time. As usually Benny wouldn’t ask for it he’d just take it, but he knew this moment was different to the usual heated make out sessions.

You didn’t deny his request, opening your mouth for Benny and always would. His tongue entered your mouth, seeking out your own. His caressed your tongue slowly, causing you to softly moan. Your grip in his vest tightened, while you moved to press your lips harder to Benny’s, your tongue battling his. You wanted more from him, but Benny refused to turn up the heat of the kiss. He was setting the pace and he wanted it to be slower, but intense. Which he got, for it was frustrating you.

Soon he pulled back, which made you whine and Benny chuckled. “Patience baby".

You pouted. “When have you ever been patient, huh?” You retorted.

“That’s true” his chuckle turning into a soft laugh. “But I’m tryin' now. As I want nothin’ more than is kiss you senseless”.

“Then do that Benny" you continued to whine.

He shook his head. “Not right now, but soon, promise".

You sighed, wanting to move your face from Benny. But with his hold still on your chin, he wouldn’t let you look away from him. He wanted you to focus on him, wanting all your attention. Taking a deep breath, Benny took a moment to go over the thoughts running through his mind. Wanting to make sure he got what he wanted to say out right.

“You are really somethin’, you know that right?” He asked, looking you in the eyes. “And you mean so much to me...I’ve never felt this way about someone before".

You waited with baited breath for Benny to continue, if he would.

Benny’s hand moved from your chin, to cupping your cheek. Thumb caressing your soft, warm skin. “You’ve put a spell on me, ya know that? Because I’m crazy about ya...I love you".

You were shocked. Benny just told you he loved you. And here you thought you’d be the one confessing first. But nope, he was the one laying it out before you. Your heart felt warm and light, butterflies fluttered in your stomach. The biggest smile crossed your lips, as a noise of joy left your lips as you wrapped your arms around his neck once more. Planting a quick, hard kiss to his lips, which made Benny laugh.

You pulled back till your lips were just touching. “I love you too Benny!” The excitement evident in your voice.

Benny pulled you close and kissed you once again, only hard and vigorously. Not even waiting for permission to deepen the kiss, just taking what he wanted. Which you wouldn’t have any other way. You both so happy in this moment, feeling each other’s love.

After those confessions, you and Benny took to cuddling up by one of the large trees. Enjoying the bliss of admitting your feelings. Lazily kissing and soft words spoken to each other. Gradually the darkness began to lift, the sky getting lighter, telling you that the day was coming. So reluctantly, you both headed back. The ride was just as good as before, possibly better now with your happiness.

Parking where he first did, Benny cut the engine and put down the kickstand. He then helped you off the bike, before following you. Wrapping his arm around you Benny lead you back to your house. By now the sun was rising, and you knew there was a chance your parents might be up. Did you care? No. Nothing could ruin your mood. Stopping at your neighbours house, Benny kissed you and reluctantly said goodbye.

You continued to slowly walk to the path leading to your house, stopping to look at Benny once more. Those butterflies going nuts from just looking at the gorgeous man watching you, waiting for you to get home safely. Then you turned and walked up to your front door, though it felt more like you were floating. Quietly you opened the door, slipping in and closing it just as quietly. Then you lent against the door, bright smile still on your face as you heard the faint noise of Benny's bike.

Moving from your spot and across the lounge room to the stairs, you were greeted to your mother coming down the stairs. She was surprised to see you, but then noticed you were dressed and goofy grin on your face.

“What are you doing?” She enquired.

You held onto the banister, “nothing ma. Was just out enjoying the morning". And with that you slipped past her and headed to your room.

Of course you passed your father, who gave you a confused look. When your door closed he headed to your mother, who had come back up to watch you. They shared are confused looked.

“What was that?” Your father asked.

Slowly it dawned on your mother, who didn’t know if she should be upset or happy. “Our daughter in love".

[zepskies]

Every Second Counts - Part 1

Pairing: Russell Shaw x F. Reader

Summary: One date with your best friend’s brother leaves you wanting more, even though his questionable job and vagabond lifestyle make you want to guard your heart. When your brother falls into trouble, however, Russell is the first one you trust to help you find him. 

AN: Finally, here we are at Part 1! Remember that A Line and a Half functions as our prologue here.

Word Count: 5.7K

Tags/Warnings: 18+ only for some mature thoughts. Fluff, angst and hurt/comfort, drug use, mentions of drug addiction and alcoholism, skeevy men, and a tinge of spice.~

💜 Series Masterlist

Part 1: "Permission Granted"

“Are you absolutely sure?” you asked, with your hands on your hips. 

You wanted no miscommunication here, no read-between-the-lines mishaps, no subtext or nuance to bite you in the ass later. So here you stood in the middle of your best friend’s office, still at the Wyoming University campus after your last class.

Dory had to laugh at you. She pushed away from her desk and threw her hands up.

“Yes, for the love of God, you can grab a drink with my brother,” she said.

After brushing a lock of blonde hair behind her ear, she went to you and set her hands on your shoulders.

“You have my blessing,” she said. “All I ask is that you don’t scar me with any gushy details afterward.” 

Your face began to heat up in a blush. You crossed your arms.

“All right, no one said there was going to be any of that,” you replied. “It’s just a date. Barely a date, mind you.”

“A-huh,” Dory said with a sneaking smile. “Out of curiosity, what was it about him that hooked you? You’ve been dodging Chris’s valiant attempts for like a month now.”

Chris was a French and Spanish professor. His office was on the same floor as yours, so you two occasionally crossed paths whenever you ventured into the teacher’s lounge.

He usually caught you in the morning while you were grabbing your free coffee fix at the Keurig. He’d chat you up about his classes and his dog and his new boat, and all the while you’d struggle to get a word in edgewise. Despite that, he was good-looking and pleasant, for the most part. It was just…

“I don’t know. He’s not my type, I guess,” you shrugged. You kind of liked conversations where both people got to speak.

“And Russell is?” Dory said, in a teasing tone. You chewed the inside of your lip, fighting a smile.

“I don’t know,” you admitted. “Kind of want to find out though.”

“Okay, well, let me know what you find,” Dory said, more wryly. You caught a bit of melancholy when her gaze drifted off. Your brows furrowed in concern as you drew closer, setting a hand on her arm.

“What do you mean?” you asked.

She was hesitant, but she eventually answered you with a confession.

“You know, it’s been about twenty years since I’ve seen him,” she said. “We’ve had entire lives already. I see him now, and there’s some of the Russell I knew when we were kids, but…there’s just a lot I don’t know about him, who he’s become.”

You could understand that. You squeezed her arm in sympathy.

“Well, he really seems to want to know you now,” you said. You remembered all the questions he asked you when he helped you carry your files back to your office after lunch today—most of them about Dory, about her career, your friendship, and ultimately, if she was happy.

“What happened to you guys?” you asked. “Why are you all so distant? Colter included.”

Dory’s face tightened. “It’s a long story. I’ve told you some of it. But basically, after our dad died, nothing was ever the same again.”

You dimmed at that. You knew their mother still lived in the cabin they grew up in, but Dory had never quite been able to tell you what happened to their dad. You’d never pushed the subject. You knew better than anyone what kind of pain that was. 

“I just wish we’d been able to stay with each other. Me and my brothers, at least,” Dory said. But she adopted a smile for you, before she returned to her desk.

“Okay. Go on your non-date at your favorite bar with Russell. I’ll be here, grading papers until Judgment Day,” she said, with a small laugh that felt like a coverup for thoughts she no longer wanted to think about.

You let her do it. You grabbed your purse and work bag off the spare chair in front of her desk.

“So you’re sure,” you wanted to confirm. “One last chance for me to tell him I came down with food poisoning.”

Dory collected her stack of midterm papers and gave you a cheeky look that said, class dismissed. Then she clicked her red pen and pointedly looked down at the first batch of papers to read through.

You smiled. Okay, you thought, giving her a little wave goodbye when you turned to leave. You had just a couple of hours to drive home and get ready to meet Russell.

“Goodnight,” you called.

“Goodniiight,” Dory replied.

You heard the smirk in her voice without even having to look back.

After fighting through rush hour traffic, you were exhausted when you got home from work. Your tentative excitement and nerves about tonight gave you some new energy though, even if you thought those nerves were silly to have.

Barely a date, you reminded yourself, as you unlocked the door to your house. Barely a date, barely a date.

The Ring Camera beside the door chimed when you entered the house, signaling your arrival. You had to wrinkle your nose at the dank-ass smell that greeted you.

Frowning in annoyance, you dropped your stuff on the kitchen table for now and shucked off your heels. You made a beeline down the hall, to the bedroom that lied across from yours. You pushed it open without knocking. There you caught your older brother, Charlie, snoozing in his bed with the covers half pooling on the floor.

His room was a mess, as usual. Your gaze locked on the evidence of half a blunt on his nightstand and two smoked roaches beside it. You were glad it wasn’t remnants of white lines of powder, like times before, but there was also a large bottle of whiskey. It was almost empty, and hanging loosely from his hand.

He managed to raise his head a bit when you came in.

“Hey,” he said, blinking bleary eyes. He cleared his throat and tried to sit up.

You shook your head and picked around piles of dirty clothes and a couple of used paper plates on the floor. You swiftly grabbed the bottle from his hand and slammed it on the nightstand.

“You promised me, Charlie,” you snapped. “You promised me for the hundredth time that you’d quit all this shit. Where even were you last night? You weren’t home when I left for work this morning.”

He sighed, frowning at how loud you were, and sat up in bed. He swung his legs over the side and held his swimming head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. He ran a hand through his hair. It was nearly black, like Dad’s had been, but he’d inherited Mom’s lighter eyes.

“I got invited to a party,” he said. “I’m sorry, I know. This is the last time.”

You expelled a frustrated breath and shook your head.

“You’re a grown fucking man, Charlie! Do you really need me to give you the just say no speech?” you said. 

“Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know how many times I can say it,” he said. He shut his eyes tight, probably trying to fend off a headache. 

Good, you thought. Let that be a reminder of how bad he’d screwed up again. 

“And while we’re at it, what about your half of the bills? You’re a week late,” you said, testily crossing your arms.

“Yeah, I’m a little behind,” he said. Once again, he cleared his throat past a wad of phlegm. He was still a bit crossfaded too, you could tell. “You know they cut my hours to part-time at the museum. I’ve, uh, I’ve been looking into getting another job—”

“I already paid the phone bill. And the internet, the water bill, the electricity,” you said. “The house may be paid off, but the least you can do is pay your half of living here.”

The longer you stared at him, seeing the guilt hidden behind drunken eyes, you realized he wasn’t just late on his half of the bills.

“How much?” you asked.

He frowned up at you. “What?”

“How much do you owe?” you said. Your voice was as cutting as your gaze. Charlie lowered his.  

“It’s okay, don’t worry—”

“How much,” you pressed.

He looked up at you again, this time with pursed lips. After a beat, he sighed and gave in.

“About two grand,” he admitted.

You raised your eyes heavenward, muttering a curse. Your hands went to your temples as you had to pace the room. You were angry and exasperated in equal measure.

“Who the fuck do you owe two grand?!” you asked.

Charlie shook his head. “It’s better that I don’t tell you that.”

You paused. As you looked down at him, your anger dissolved into sadness, like it always did.

“If Mom and Dad could see you now, they wouldn’t recognize you,” you said.

Charlie fought not to react to that, his brows furrowing. Instead, he just looked down, unable to answer you.

“Charlie, you need help. I can’t keep doing this with you,” you said. Your shaky breath gave way to the burn of tears.  

His red-rimmed eyes became glassy as well.

“I’m sorry,” was all he said.

He was always sorry. And you always had to be the one to nurse him back to health, pick up the pieces, pay the bills. You were exhausted. The bone-deep kind of tired that felt like gravity wasn't so much keeping you down, but pushing you.

“I’m going to ask for two things: do what you need to do to get paid, and clean up your shit. If you can’t accomplish that, then I’m taking you to rehab,” you said.

“You know I’ve tried that,” Charlie said, with a shrug of his shoulders. “Didn’t really work for me.”

“You left the program after two weeks!” you retorted.

“I did it on my own! I’ve been clean for months,” he argued.

“And what happened? You go to one party and all your good sense, all your training, mentally and physically—that all goes out the window?” you said. You had half a mind not to believe him.

“Yeah well, maybe just for one night, I wanted to relax without you harping on my back,” he said, glaring up at you. “Is that too much to fucking ask? For you to give me some goddamn slack?”

Your mouth fell open incredulously.  

“I’m on your back?” you said. “Okay. I’ll get off. Do whatever the hell you want, Charlie. I’m done.”

You left his room in an angry huff. You headed over to your room so you could take a shower and start getting ready to meet Russell at Howley’s. 

By the time you got to your bedroom, you heard the front door slam closed.

The truth was, you were no longer in a mood to have fun when you pulled up to Howley’s, but you needed to escape your house. Also, you weren’t someone who canceled on people last-minute, especially not on Dory’s own brother.

You found Russell waiting for you at the bar. He waved to you with a fifth of whiskey in hand and an easy grin. He’d saved you a seat beside him.

You found yourself smiling. Your mood began to lighten as you went over to him. He looked more or less the same, but this time the jacket and jeans combo was navy blue and dark wash, respectively. His hair was swept back, lightly gelled. You smelled the familiar, rich woodiness of his cologne when you drew near, along with a hint of spicy soap.

“Hey, there.” He greeted you with a warm hand on your back. He helped you into your seat.

“Hey, yourself,” you replied, and thanked him for the assist onto the tall stool. You’d opted for jeans and a blouse, paired with your favorite leather boots. It was less dressy than he’d seen you before, but that was “work mode.” This was a more casual affair, even if you’d spent at least twenty extra minutes on your makeup.

You were glad he picked a spot at the end of the bar though. It put some distance from the group of guys getting rowdy as they cheered at the football game playing on the TV.

“How was the rest of your day, Professor?” he asked. “And what’re you wanting to drink?”

You let out a long sigh and turned toward him, resting your elbow on the counter.

“Awesome. I’m going to need two shots of tequila and an order of something fried, and preferably covered with cheese, please,” you replied.

Russell’s grin deepened. “Okay, I’m thinking ‘awesome’ is code for something. But we can get started on that order of Forget Today’s Unfortunate Events.”

He flagged down the bartender with a raise of his hand, but he shot you a glance.

“Though I’m hoping it’s not all of today that you wanna forget,” he said.

Your lips threatened another smile, as the memory of your hand being swept up into his, and soft lips meeting the back of your hand filtered through your mind.

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s possible,” you said.

After about ten minutes of playfully debating the appetizer menu (you swore by the pretzel and beer cheese, but Russell had his eye on those spicy wings), he finally settled on ordering both.

“When in doubt, don’t go without,” he’d remarked.

You swept a pretty coil of hair over your shoulder and downed your tequila shots with a lime wedge. Meanwhile, Russell tried not to linger his eyes on the way your tongue swept over your finger to catch a drop of lime juice. Your nails were manicured, and the shade of the polish matched your lipstick.

Russell didn’t pretend to know the art and science of a woman’s wardrobe, but everything about you was thought out, it seemed, falling in line with what he’d expect from a (sexy as all hell) college professor. You’d also told him at lunch today that as of last year, you now had two doctorates: History and Ancient Studies.

Even with all that under your belt, you also seemed refreshingly down-to-earth, a lot like Dory in that sense. He could see why you two were friends.

“So, are you from here, or are you a transplant, like my sister?” he asked.

Dory hadn’t come to live in Wyoming until their aunt and uncle took her in, when she was about eight years old. Before last month, Russell hadn’t seen her since. It hurt his heart to think about, but he tried to focus on you.

You now seemed to be staring a bit listlessly at the glass of whiskey in his hands. He laid a hand on your arm and called your name.

“Hmm?” Your brows rose as you blinked to attention. “Oh! I’m sorry. Yes, I’ve lived here pretty much forever.”

“You okay?” Russell asked. “Tequila hit ya a little hard?”

You shook your head. “No, I’m sorry…”

You raised your hands up to your temples. You debated whether you wanted to open up about this, but…considering who Russell was, you thought he might just understand.

“Dory told me you’ve been trying to reconnect with your brother, right? Colter?” you said.

Russell nodded. He wasn’t sure how much Dory told you about their family business, but it dimmed his mood.

“Well, you could say I’ve got a brother issue of my own,” you said, laughing humorlessly. “You don’t have to talk about yours, but maybe you’ll understand… My brother is a veteran too. He was a Captain, air force pilot. He fought in Afghanistan, mainly.”

Russell processed that with a nod. “Yeah, I was there too. Special Ops.”

“Wow, okay. Then you know what it was like for him, coming back home,” you said. Your gaze fell to your empty shot glasses. “It was hard, after…”

“After?” he prompted.

You sighed. “Near the end, he lost half his unit in a raid, off of some flawed intel.”

Russell’s brows knitted together. Hmm. Grief, survivor’s guilt, feeling like you don’t belong.

He was starting to get a clearer picture of who your brother was. It struck at familiar chords inside himself that he wasn’t so comfortable with. He shifted in his seat, fingers flexing over his glass on the counter.

You didn’t notice, but you did push the shot glasses away from you.

“I helped him the best I could,” you said. “I got him a job at the museum I interned at when I was in undergrad. He’s there as a security guard, but it’s not really enough, you know? It’s like, nothing satisfies him. I just…I don’t think I know how to help him anymore.”

You couldn’t help it. Emotion bubbled in your throat, making it close up on you as tears stung in your eyes. Your lower lip wobbled, and you tried to turn your face away. Embarrassment coiled up in your chest and made your face hot.

You felt a hand cover yours on your thigh, squeezing warmly. You looked up and met Russell’s gaze, both sympathetic and understanding.

“I’m so sorry,” you said, trying to calm your shuddering breath. “This isn’t exactly first date material. I can’t believe I unloaded on you like that.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “Believe me, I get what your brother’s going through.”

He pushed the plate with the last piece of soft-baked pretzel over to you.

“You finish that if you want, then you go ahead and pick something else off the menu. I won’t even argue with you this time,” he promised with a grin.

It got you to laugh, at least, and he gave you a napkin for your tears.

God, get it together, you told yourself. You’re a damn mess.

“Thanks,” you said. You managed to smile as you blotted at one corner of your eye. You hoped you hadn’t just irreversibly smudged your mascara.

Russell surprised you by brushing his thumb against your other cheek, wiping a stray tear away. Your face began to warm with a blush.

“Again, I’m sorry for dumping on you. We had a fight right when I got home,” you admitted.

“What’s his name?” Russell asked.

“Charlie.”

“Older or younger than you?”

“Four years older,” you replied. “He enlisted a few years after he graduated high school.”

Russell flickered at a smile. Enlisted, huh?

Yet another thing he and Charlie had in common, except Russell hadn’t made it through high school in the classic sense.

“What do you think?” you asked.

“I think your brother sounds lost right now. I’ve known a lotta guys like him, unfortunately,” Russell admitted. “Walking back into civilian life, it ain’t easy. That I know my damn self. Just like I know a thing or two about being an older brother. He’s probably doing his best to keep it off your shoulders.”

You shook your head at that. Trying, maybe.

You weren’t even sure of that anymore. Still, it made you all the more curious about Russell and his family.

“I know I said I wouldn’t ask this, and you don’t have to answer. But did you and Colter have a falling out or something?” you asked.

Russell expelled a deep breath and took a sip from his glass. How was he supposed to navigate this minefield with you?

“You gotta understand that me, my brother, my sister, we didn’t grow up like a normal family,” he said.

“Yeah, I know,” you nodded. “Dory’s told me some of it. It sounded…rustic.”

He snorted. “Putting it mildly.”

He shook his head and drained the rest of his glass. 

“Well, my brother’s got an idea about me that isn’t true,” he said.

Your head tilted in curiosity. “Which is?”

His lips briefly raised in a wan smile. 

“We don’t gotta get into that one tonight. But uh, the truth is, I’ve tried reaching out to him several times now. He just doesn’t wanna hear from me,” said Russell.

You considered him for a moment. You laid a hand on his arm, covered by his jacket. 

“Don’t give up,” you said, with a sigh of your own. “Despite some things I said to him today, I know I can’t. My brother’s the only real family I have.”

Russell grew curious then. “What about your parents?”

You gave a weak smile.

“They passed away when we were young, but…we don’t have to get into that one tonight,” you said, borrowing his words. 

His expression fell. “Jesus. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you,” you accepted, twisting the napkin around your fingers.

An awkward lull of silence fell between you, until Russell nodded and blew out a breath.

“Well. Heavy, huh?”

You chuckled and rested your head against your hand.

“I know. Again, my fault,” you replied. 

“It’s okay, swee—. Mmm,” he cut himself off, shooting you a knowing glance.

“Were you about to sweetheart me?” you asked playfully, nudging his hand. “You know how I feel about that.”

“No, ma’am. Not at all,” Russell shook his head. His smile gave him away though. You laughed and grabbed his arm.

“Come on,” you said.

He allowed you to lead him out of his seat. He already had a tab open, so he’d settle up with the bar later. “Where we going?”

“You’re gonna lose to me at pool,” you said with a smirk.

Russell laughed and wrapped his arm around your waist instead.

“Oh, okay. I’m gonna give you a run for your money, though,” he promised.

And he was true to his word.

Russell Shaw turned out to be a more than worthy opponent. You studied the board as you changed the angle on your cue stick no less than five times.

“You gonna make a move, or we going to be here all night?” he said.

He was smiling as he leaned against his own cue on the other side of the board. His clever moves had left you in a difficult position to get your three remaining solid-colored balls into the pocket.

“You hush. I’m thinking,” you said, fighting your own smile.

“Careful, you’ve got steam coming out of your ears,” he teased.

You shot him a narrowed look for that. But then you smiled, as the answer came to you. You walked around to his side of the board and nudged him with your hip.

“Excuse me, sir,” you said to him over your shoulder.

Russell made way for you, but his eyes followed the way you bent over to line up your shot. Namely the curve of your ass in those tight jeans. He could see you knew exactly what you were doing, in more ways than one.

You shot your shot. The solid green ball leapt over his white-striped blue one and managed to sink into the pocket. You straightened up and gave him a triumphant little smirk.

He tried to temper his smile (and ignore the way his cock twitched).

“All right, go on, do your little victory lap," he said. "But remember, I let you go first.”

“Like that matters,” you quipped back.

You went back to the other side of the board to line up your next shot. Russell noticed a pair of drunk men ambling your way from the bar, but before he could make a subtle move to put himself in between, one of the men’s gazes slid down your form and gave into the base urge to let out a low whistle.

And he slapped you right on the ass.

You gasped, grabbing hold of the pool table. Then your shock melted into ire.

Russell was already heading toward you with an angry frown of his own, but even he had to stop short, when he watched you throw a punch that cracked the drunken man across the bridge of his nose.

Good form, Russell thought, when the guy reared back with a howl. His nose dripped blood when his hands came away from his face.

His buddy started to raise his hackles, but that was when Russell stepped to your side. He angled himself toward you and loosely gripped his pool cue by his hip, like it was an extension of his arm. He was fully prepared to use it like one.

“Fucking bitch!” said the one who was still dabbing his nose in vain. He glared at you, his eyes watering involuntarily, while his friend tried to keep him upright. You rolled your eyes.

"You're the one who's crying, bitch," you returned. Russell held in a snort. He cleared his throat and looked on at the pair of idiots.

“I’d have a little sit down if I were you,” Russell told them, with a smirk. “Let that be a lesson to ya. And if it don’t stick? Well. Whatever you start, I can damn well finish.”

His steely gaze reinforced the promise of his words. The other men were still angry, but even drunks had some sense of self-preservation. They ambled toward the back of the bar to find another pool table.

Russell focused his attention back on you, finding you looking down at your hand, rotating your wrist and flexing your fingers.

“Well, look at you, slugger,” he said. You met his smile with one of amusement.

“That’s just what I needed tonight. A broken hand,” you quipped.

“Aw, it doesn’t look as bad as all that. But can I see?” he asked. You allowed him to take your smaller hand in his. Your knuckles were red and tender to the touch when he gently pressed. You hissed in pain.

Damn, she really gave it to him, Russell thought.

“Sorry,” he said, but your hand felt fine, at least. More than fine. His gaze flicked up to yours as his amused grin deepened. “Good hit though.”

If he liked you before, he might’ve fallen half in love with you right there.

You laughed through the pain. “Yeah, my brother did teach me something. Shit.”

Russell led you back to the bar after you grabbed your purse. There he called to the bartender for some ice. The guy nodded; he’d seen the entire exchange and was sympathetic.

You knew this sort of thing was just par for the course at this kind of bar, but they had the best drinks. Charlie had to carry you out of here on your twenty-first birthday, drunk off your ass. Not to mention, he’d punched out two handsy dicks that night.

You recounted the story to Russell over a couple more drinks. Your conversation was lighter then, filled with laughter and a warm, companiable feeling. He was still rather evasive about his job, but you supposed he had to be, since it was government contract work.

Private security, mainly. Or so he'd said. This man made you infinitely curious, and a bit apprehensive, if you were honest.

And yet, at some point while you two shared and laughed and split a hot sandwich with another round of beers, you realized it.

I like this, you thought. And I like him.

However, the night had to come to an end sometime. Your third involuntary yawn told Russell it was time to call it.

"I'm okay," you tried.

"Nah, you've gotta work tomorrow," he said. He signaled to the bartender. "Let me go ahead and close out my tab."

“Oh, I can pay for half,” you said, reaching for your purse now hanging from your hip.

“You kidding me? Put that away,” he said, guiding your hand with your wallet aside.

Smiling, you accepted his generosity with a small thank you. Then, you let him take up your sore hand again, just to carefully press the half-melted bag of ice over it.

“Feelin’ better?” he asked.

Your smile became softer. “Yeah.”

You had no doubt that this man, tall as he was, with his broad shoulders and the controlled way he carried himself, could’ve laid both of those drunken assholes onto their asses. His intimidating gaze had promised as much.

But his hands were gentle for you.

“I was about to win that game, no contest!” you said, laughing as you and Russell headed out of the bar and into the parking lot.

“Hey, hey, I still had time to win it back,” he argued. “I only had three more balls to go. I could’ve sunk that with my eyes closed.”

“Three balls, huh?” you said slyly, and maybe, a little tipsy. “Might wanna get that looked at.”

Russell snorted. “You think you’re funny, huh?”

“Hey, you laughed!” you said, pointing at him.

He shook his head, despite his amusement. He slowed to a stop in front of his car.

“Where’d you park, huh?” he asked.

“Over there,” you said, pointing several parking spaces down. Your eyes were drawn to his car, however. “Wow. This is your car?”

Russell grinned and patted the top of his black Chevy.

“Aw, yeah. That’s my baby,” he said. “She’s a Chevelle, 1967.”

You didn’t know much about cars, but you could see this was a classic beauty. You passed a hand over its sleek paint job without touching, so you didn't get any fingerprints on it. Though you quirked a smile over your shoulder at him.

“She?” you intoned.

“That’s right. She,” he confirmed.

You smirked and crossed your arms. You paused in front of the passenger door, and when Russell drew in closer, you had to crane your neck up to meet his warm gaze.

“Now, if I go in for a kiss goodnight, are you gonna deck me?” he asked, with a teasing glint in his eyes.

You tilted your head, your own eyes dancing.

“I’m sure you’re brave enough to find out,” you said.

Russell decided he’d take that bet.

He leaned in slowly. He made a show of hesitating, raising a brow, as if waiting for a blow. You were tempted to laugh.

But then he let loose a true smile, and he bowed his head to press his lips against yours. Your eyes fell shut, and your hands moved to flatten against his chest. A firm fucking wall. Jesus.

He circled his arms around your waist, bringing you in closer. Your fingers wound up in his hair, while he tilted his head to kiss you again. You met him with the same fervor with each new kiss, and the feel of your body, soft and pliant under his hands, each little sweet sound that you made, it all drove him to delve in deeper.

You moaned into his mouth at the first warm swipe of his tongue against yours. He tasted like the burn of good whiskey.

You pressed yourself flush against him on instinct. He found no other recourse but to back you up against the side of his car. His hand tangled into your hair, gripping, then easing through the soft strands.

Russell veered away from your soft mouth after a while, just to burn a line of warm, wet kisses along your jaw, and down your neck with the added rasp of his beard.

His lips found the sensitive spot where your neck met your shoulder. He kissed and sucked at your skin, even grazing with his teeth. You gasped softly in his ear, shuddering against him. You ran your hands over his shoulders and down his strong back out of a need to feel him.

His hands were heavy along the curve of your waist then, squeezing your hips. It all felt incredibly right. And by right, you meant body tingling, warmth churning in your lower belly, and wetness growing between your legs, for sure dampening your panties.

You tugged him back by his hair, so you could reach him for another steamy kiss.

“I’m staying at a motel, if you wanna…” he said, between kisses.

You paused against his lips, parting from him softly.

“Or not," he added. "Just thought I’d mention.” 

You giggled, catching your breath, and then smoothing your hands down his chest. The faint throb of your core was telling you one thing, but the warning signals of your more cautious mind were telling you another. You thought for a moment…but then you sighed. 

“How long are you really in town?” you asked.

His wet lips tugged to one corner, ruefully. “A few more days, probably.”

“Right,” you said with a frown. “Russell, I like you. I actually, I really do. If you were sticking around for a while, it’d be one thing. But you’re my best friend’s brother, and I—”

“No, I get it. I can’t predict when I’m gonna be able to swing back into town, and you’ve gotta live your life,” he said, but not without care. He curled an errant strand of hair behind your ear. 

Your heart tugged, almost painfully.

“You’re a good guy, Russell Shaw,” you breathed. “Why can’t you be a good guy who’s staying?”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said. Then he cringed, knowing how you felt about sweethearting men. “Ah, sorry—” 

You smiled and covered his mouth with your fingers. 

“It’s okay. You have permission to sweetheart me.” 

After blinking his surprise away, his face eased into a grin.

“Then I’ll wear that badge with honor,” he said. 

Your shoulders shook with laughter when you let your forehead fall against his chest.

Russell remained what he had been throughout the entire night: a gentleman, who accompanied you over to your car.

After another stolen kiss or two in front of your sedan, you parted ways from him with a bit of a heavy heart. You wondered if you made the right decision, or if you should’ve just gone for it for once, instead of second-guessing yourself like usual.

You did know this. The rumble of his Chevelle driving down the opposite road would be imprinted on your memory.

When you returned home, you realized that the house was empty, and in complete darkness.

Charlie still wasn’t home.

Worried, you flicked on the lights and began to text his cell, only to find a note for you on the kitchen counter.

And it worried you even more.

I’m sorry. I’m going to make it right. 

— C.

AN: 😬 Well then! lol We're diving straight into the drama and feels on this one. What did you think of her "barely a date" with Russell? 😂

And where do you think we're going next with Charlie?

Next Time:

Dory was sat next to you on the couch, rubbing your back with sympathy and concern in her own eyes.

“You should call the police,” she advised.

You’d thought of that, but if Charlie was doing something he wasn’t supposed to, then depending on what it was, you didn’t necessarily want him locked up in a cell. He wasn’t a bad person, he was just…lost. You wanted him to get help.

You set down the butterknife beside the jar and turned to her, after drying your eyes the best you could.

“Do you think your brother would be willing to come back to Wyoming?” you said. After a beat of hesitation, you specified:

“Colter, the tracker.”

▶️ Keep Reading: PART 2

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Russell S. Tag List:

@kazsrm67 @letheatheodore @agothwithheavysetmakeup @jacklesbrainworms @foxyjwls007

@wincastifer @ades106 @iamsapphine @simpforbuckyb @roseblue373

@brianochka @branj19 @hazel-eye-coffee-shop-girl-blog @globetrotter28 @charmed-asylum

@waywardxwords @deanwinchestersgirl87 @this-is-me19 @rachiem4-blog @sweettimelady

@leigh70 @clinicallydepresso @xiphoidbones @skoveu @nyotamalfoy

@kmc1989 @jackles010378 @emily-winchester @waynes-multiverse @jessjad

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@jesllianaquilesrolonsworld @pieandmonsters @lhymer1995 @taehyungxjungkookistaekook @lovelystoriesaj

@nicksalchemy1 @spnwoman @onlyangel-444 @sexyvixen7 @illicithallways

@wolkenprinzessin007 @alwaystiredandconfused @carpenterswife @cheynovak @grilledcheeseandtomato

[vacayisland]

Could you do a John Dory x Retired Singer/Musician Reader? Pls and thank you

(I loved meet the wifie I fucking cackled at "imma beat his ass!")

@!; Oldies are always better. John Dory / Retired! Reader

"Tag List"! @writergal02 @chamille-trash @valvalentine69 @starzwithapen @ykvlanq @apieceofcathair3 @kitthefanfickat

ꨄ︎. You were a big alt-indie musician, making music that tended to have a little bit of everything; the funk and beat of the funk tribe and the techno tribe, the guitar riffs and drum solos from the rock tribe, some classical instruments as undertones, and pop-like lyrics and beats. All the while you also put your own spin on it. Music had always been an outlet for you, always allowed you to take what was in your head and thread it into sound for everyone to hear. Sometimes it was chaotic, sometimes it was mellow, and it always depended on your mood when writing, composing, and singing. It's usually was drew people to your music. It was down to Earth, yet also complex and simple at the same time. Those who wanted to dive into the meaning of your music and dissect it would find multiple layers, many undertones that all harmonized. Those who just wanted to vibe out to your music could do that as well.

ꨄ︎. When you had left your career behind, it wasn't because of anything bad. You left with one final song in which explained that you were stepping down to let the new generation to find their own flow, to let other people take the stage, to be able to sit back and enjoy everything that will come in the future. You were only around 24 when you put down your guitar for the final time for the public; But you never gave up music for good on your own. While you never published anything anymore, you kept writing and composing for yourself as it was truly your passion.

ꨄ︎. This is when JD found you, playing in a friend's cafe. You had caught his attention right away, so much so he didn't hear the waiter when he had asked for JD's order. He was honestly so captivated by you for a moment he wondered if you were some sort of siren. He soon realized, yeah no you weren't, you just were really, really good. And he needed your number, badly. And that sounded a little creepy, but when you see someone who's not only good looking but knows how to sing and play an instrument all in one? You don't miss that chance to talk them up, and JD was defiantly not missing his chance!

ꨄ︎. JD didn't see a ring on your finger, it was fair game for him. Luckily you hadn't been seeing anyone at the time, but you still gave him a reality check after he approached you as though he was the coolest guy on the planet; Introducing himself before using some sort of cheesy pick up line to get your number. "Hey, babe, my name is John Dory and you seem rather lonely. You know, I can fill that 'me' shaped hole in your heart if you give me your number!" And then he winked!? Your friend was flabbergasted. You thought he was really brave.

ꨄ︎. And you hate to admit that his stupid pick-up line (which didn't even seem like a pick-up line!) actually worked and he got your number. (And he would be so smug and proud about this fact for the rest of his life.)

ꨄ︎. You two talked for a few months before making anything official, and then you waited about a year or two before you two even thought about moving in together. Even so, by 6 months of dating you basically lived in Rhonda; Your stuff littered his home, you had your own set of clothes there, your own toothbrush, and even your own house slippers. Then when you moved in, it felt natural. It felt like this was where you were always meant to end up and somehow the planets aligned. And for some reason JD never noticed the fact you brought in an electric guitar, which also sat in your shared closet. Sometimes you wonder if he's just stupid or a little blind, because he's also seen your play.

ꨄ︎. Either way, one day when he was hoisting his brothers over (after the whole Floyd situation got resolved, and god you were kind of glad you were staying with friends during all of that; not because you didn't like his brothers but because you didn't think you could handle meeting his family during that whole situation.) when they heard you playing your guitar in the bedroom. You weren't doing anything fancy, mostly tuning the guitar and making sure the strings didn't need to be replaced. But, of course, that always had to include one of your most iconic guitar riffs from a song about fighting your crushing mentality during the lowest part of your career. "Holy shit dude, I didn't know your lover listened to (Y/N)!" Branch would be the first to comment, being the most diverse music listener in the family. Floyd, who had been distracted by the riff, perked up at the conversation and nodded in agreement. JD only gave them a confused look, leaning against his kitchen counter, "Dude, my lover is (Y/N)?" And JD wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't all four of his brothers stopping and staring at him completely baffled. Mostly Floyd and Branch, who soon yelled a rather loud, "WHAT?!" "What?!" Which only confused JD more.

ꨄ︎. You hadn't met JD's family before this point, but you've heard all about them; Not only from JD, when he told you about his band days, and when you heard them around the trailer when they would come over. Usually you stayed in the bedroom, not to be rude yet to just let JD have his time with his brothers. Yet, you couldn't understand what all the yelling was about, "Yo, Que te pasa? Why the hell are you guys yelling?" You would ask, poking your head out of the door to the bedroom. Your expression tired, your hair messier, yet you could care less at this moment; You were sure JD's brothers wouldn't mind, they would see you worse later on since you were planning to stay with that big doofus. "Oh my god-" You flinched when Floyd dropped the cup he was holding, his jaw dropping upon seeing you; And honestly, for a second, you forgot you used to be a big artist. "John Dory," You started, startled by the reactions his brothers were giving, "Vas a decirme lo que esta pasando ahora mismo."

ꨄ︎. JD is always a little intimidated when you speak Spanish, mostly because his Grandma used to scold him and his brothers in Spanish. So he only explained (rather quickly) how his brothers had heard you tuning your guitar in the bedroom and how they just got weird. And that's when Branch defended himself, along with Floyd, how JD never told them that you were his lover! "And what's it to you that I love your brother?" You shot back quick and snappy, crossing your arms as you shot a glare their way. You weren't above throwing hands with JD's brothers. Floyd noticed the way JD glanced away, sipping his coffee. He was quick to stand up, placing a hand on Branch's shoulder to calm him, before explaining the whole situation to you better; Saying how Branch and Floyd were just big fans of your music and they didn't realize that you were with JD, because no matter how much JD spoke about you he never told them that you were his lover.

ꨄ︎. "Oh, Mierda lo siento." God, this made things a little awkward, "I thought you were about to be one of those horrible step-siblings that didn't like his brother's lover for some dumb reason like my hair." "What? No!-" "No, yeah, I see that now. My bad, really sorry." You mumbled, rubbing the back of your neck, "JD can be really, really dense sometimes, shut it John Dory!," You pointed a finger at JD before he could make a peep in protest about your slight insult, but it was made out of full love. "Let's start over, hi I'm (Y/n) and it's really nice to meet you."

ꨄ︎. Safe to say, JD forgot to tell his brothers that he was dating an old sensational artist...and kind of forgot you were one and was very shocked to realize this! Furthermore, you were a little flabbergasted when he revealed that some of BroZone's songs were influenced by your music. You would stare at JD after he confessed such a large secret, "Wow... that's a big insult." You mumbled sarcastically under your breath. "EXCUSE ME?!" But you guessed JD missed the sarcasm. "I'm being sarcastic, love. That's kind of sweet." Playfully rolling your eyes, you pressed a kiss into JD's cheek before turning back to his brothers. You crossed your legs, rested your elbow against your knee, and held your face in your hands. "Now about you four, how about we get to actually know each other. I'm planning to remain in this family after all..."

ꨄ︎. Safe to say that JD is wifing/husbanding/etc. you up really quick.

ꨄ︎. He still brags about how he first got your number and how he managed to 'snatch you up' before anyone else could. You told him he's too old to use new lingo and to stop, lovingly of course as you didn't want your 'husband' to embarrass himself. He melted hearing you call him husband before getting a bigger ego boost; And you had fun watching him terrorize his siblings while his ego was so inflated. You even jokingly did the whole 'I'm watching you' eyes to one of his brothers (Clay) as a silent threat that this is how you were always going to hand JD off to them like. He gave you the biggest (playful) stink eye ever. Yeah, you're going to fit right into this family.

.ᐟ this work is published and owned by @vacayisland. please do not plagiarize, copy, or steal this work; like, reblogs, and saves are appreciated :D

[waynes-multiverse]

The Exit Strategy – Part 4

Summary: Russell is ready to hang it all up and retire, open up a brewery, and enjoy the rest of his civilian life. However, there’s one important thing missing before he can take the big plunge. Luckily, he knows just the right person to help him find it.

Pairing: Russell Shaw x Female!Reader

Warnings: 18+, language, fluff, some angst & feels, family secrets, spy stuff, a bit of spiciness

Word Count: 6.5k

A/N: Welcome back, friends! We're diving a bit into Shaw family secrets this week – fully Wayne's version, though. While I did read the books, there's no major spoilers**, so don't you worry. I just played with an idea here 🤓 I also won't be fully diving into the Shaw family life, but some things are heavily hinted to be... fishy here 👀 Enjoy & let me know what you think! 🤍

**There's a small part where Russell tells Colter about their parents. It's mentioned in the books that their mother was a psychiatrist. I took that and ran with it 🤷‍♀️

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Part 4: This Is Not an Exit

“You’ve been walking down memory lane a lot tonight,” you teased with a nudge of his ribs, still tightly cuddled in his warm embrace in the freezing basement.

“Haven’t you?”

“No, I have,” you admitted with a melancholic sigh. “Maybe we should stop dwelling on the past so much. Think more about the future…”

Russell scoffed a small chuckle. “Dory said something similar not that long ago. Actually the reason why I came here.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he sighed, his fingers absently drawing circles on your arm. “I think it’s time we retire, sweetheart. I mean, after everything we’ve been through, I think we deserve to, right? You know, sometimes I wake up in the morning, and I’m surprised we’re even still here, considering how many war zones we’ve been in.”

“Well, you know what they say – beware the old soldier because he’s old for a reason,” you said with a smile.

“Yeah, think I might be getting a little too old…” Russell chucked lightly, running a hand through his long hair. “So? What d’you think? One last hurrah, and then we hang this up? I was thinking maybe we could open up a brewery, you know? A family place. Bet the kids would love it.”

“Sounds nice,” you said with a yearning smile. You wanted all of that and more. “I’d love to retire with you.”

“But?”

You laughed slightly at his anticipating look. “But I don’t think you can yet.”

His eyebrows drew together till they met above the bridge of his freckled nose. “What d’you mean? I just told you I’m ready.”

“You say you are, but you aren’t,” you replied like the annoying Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. “Have you solved the murder yet?”

Russell licked his lips, which was his telltale sign that you caught him there. After all, you knew him better than anyone in this world – knowing when he needed to be pushed and shoved was part of it.

“No, but I don’t need to anymore. Look, the only reason I wanted to solve it was because I thought I had to prove my innocence to Colter. And well, turns out I didn’t. He believed me anyways, so…”

“That wasn’t the only reason,” you reminded him with a scrutinizing look.

“Maybe, but like I said – Dory thinks we should keep all this bullshit in the past, and after the last three years, I’m starting to agree with her,” Russell said, dragging a hand over his face.

“Look, if that’s what you want–”

“It’s what I want,” he assured you and placed a hand on your thigh, gently squeezing it. “Having my little brother and sister back is enough. I don’t need more. Nothing good ever comes from being greedy.”

You nodded in understanding, clearing your throat. “Still, in the name of our deal to always be honest, I kinda have to confess something.”

Rising from your seat, you dusted off your awful, flowery skirt and wandered to the wall safe once more, retrieving a thick folder from it. You took your place next to Russell again, his questioning eyes meeting yours as you handed him your research.

“When you didn’t come back after a year or so, I started looking into it as well. Might have done a full deep-dive,” you admitted with a bite of your lip.

Russell shot you a chiding look, shaking his head, but most of all, he was worried. “I told you to leave it alone. You don’t know what sorta people we’re dealing with here, but we do know they’re dangerous.”

“I know. I just wanted to help. Figured I could speed it along. I do have more access than you,” you countered softly. “I’m sorry, okay? But I was careful. I promise.”

“Good,” he said and looked at you, interlacing your fingers with his. “‘Cause the last thing I want is losing you over this bullshit, too.”

Nodding, you squeezed his hand in reassurance. “There’s something you should know, though.” He raised his brow anew – you’d always been full of surprises. Life certainly had never been boring. “Someone accessed the files after me.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. Definitely had a higher clearance than me, though,” you replied.

Russell threw his arms up, and you could see he was getting more upset again. “See? This is what I’m talking about! The whole point of us separating was to keep you and the kids away from it. Otherwise, we could’ve just stayed together, and I could’ve joined Horizon anyways.”

“I know that, too,” you said remorsefully. “But don’t worry. I wasn’t followed, and no one ever came after me. I made sure of it. It’s been two years now. They probably figured it was nothing after I didn’t reach out to you straight away.”

“Still… I don’t want you involved, alright?”

“What about Colter? Doesn’t he want to know? He doesn’t strike me as someone who just lets things go,” you noted observantly.

Russell clicked his tongue – a sign of defeat. “He isn’t, but he’s not gonna find anything either. I mean, the only reason I know is because you were so relentless and kept digging.”

“You haven’t told him what we found out?”

Russell licked his lips and admitted quietly, “No. I don’t think it does anyone any good to keep looking into this.”

Leaning forward and hugging your knees, your head bobbed pensively. “I thought you guys talked about what happened?”

“We did. Kinda… It’s complicated,” he stated, swallowing. “Dory was easy, you know? I guess she never really believed it… But it took a while till Colter even picked up the phone, let alone answered a goddamn text message. Had to get a little annoying.”

You smirked. “Well, you’re good at that. That’s how you won me over.”

“By being persistent?”

“Exactly. Like a tardigrade.” You grinned. “I mean, you kind of are doing it now again, too.”

He chuckled quietly. “Yeah, guess so.”

“Is that why you haven’t told him about me and the kids? Because you’re not sure about him yet?”

“Partially, yeah,” he admitted. “I guess I wanted to protect you. And maybe myself a little, too… Not sure I’m ready for those two worlds to meet yet, you know? I mean, you and the kids are the best things that ever happened to me, and when I look at Colter or Dory, I’m sometimes reminded of the worst things in my life.”

“What about your mother?”

Russell let out an exhaustive sigh that was half amused. “Geez, you haven’t changed a bit. You still ask the most uncomfortable questions possible.”

You laughed a little. “Gathering intelligence in uncomfortable ways is kind of my job, Shaw.”

“Yup, and no one’s better at it than you, sweetheart,” Russell quipped.

“So I’m guessing it’s a no on Mommie Dearest?”

Russell licked his lips, shaking his head. “I don’t wanna see her. Mostly because I don’t even know what to fucking say anymore,” he said. “I don’t want her to meet the kids either.”

“It’s okay,” you assured him and took his hand in yours. “It’s your choice, Russ. We go at your pace, alright?”

“Thank you.” Russell brought your intertwined hands to his lips, kissing the back of your hand before he looked at you deeply, a smile dancing across his plump lips. “I love you.”

You mirrored his smile, your heart fluttering like a wild butterfly in your chest. “I love you, too.”

“I’ll tell them – Dory and Colter. I want this to work,” he promised. “Just… after we finish this. I want him to have a clear head. I prefer not to get him killed, you know?”

“I get it. I thought the same thing when I first met you, too,” you joked, patting his chest. “But you brought him into this. It’s kinda on you.”

Russell scratched his bearded chin. “Yeah, but I didn’t exactly know what I’d bring him into.”

“Didn’t you, though?”

Amused, Russell bobbed his head. “Yeah, maybe I did,” he acknowledged. “You know, when Manny called me–”

Your eyes widened. “Manny called you?”

Russell blinked at you, brow creased in confusion. “Yeah, why?”

“That motherfucker…”

Furiously, you stomped to the desk and grabbed the radio. “Drone-5. This is Queen Bee-1. Report to Hive.”

The static of the radio cracked almost instantly, as if the idiot had been waiting all night for this call. “Yo, Queen Bee-1. How’s my boy?” Manny’s laugh echoed through the basement.

Russell’s glowing cheeks reached his eyes when he heard his friend’s voice. He’d known the guy almost as long as Doug.

“You’re the one who fucking told him?!” you yelled into the radio, almost crushing the device in your hand.

“To be fair, I told him not to engage with tango,” Manny sheepishly replied.

“Ha-ha, funny. Fuck you,” you huffed and tossed Russ the walkie-talkie. He caught it with one hand.

His boyish grin widened as he pushed the button. “You know, Drone-5, you could’ve told me you were actually working this thing.”

“Aw, you know I can’t do that. But I guess congrats on crashing another operation. You’re Worker Bee-3 now. Old habits die hard, huh?” Manny chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess…” Russell replied with a lighthearted chuckle, but his teeth tugged pensively at his lips.

“Great to have you back, brother. Hope this works out for you. See you on the other side, man. Oh, and could you move like three feet to the left and turn the washer off? We can barely hear and see you guys, and Drone-2 just ran out to grab popco–”

“No, absolutely not. Out,” you snapped as you grabbed the radio from Russ. He laughed as you put it furiously back on the desk. You knew what you had signed up for, but you still deserved some privacy. Annoyed, you took off your cross necklace – another bug – and settled down beside him again.

“What did he say when he called you?”

“Nothing much, really. Just told me your coordinates and that you like to pick up your mail at three o’clock at the local post office,” Russell replied.

You shook your head, smiling. “Well, he always loved you, so…” You started to chew on your lower lip, the anxiety in your belly returning. For the sake of your mind and heart, you had to make sure Russell was fully back, and this wasn’t just a fluke. “You know, I worry sometimes that if you don’t face this thing with your family, you’ll always feel this way. I mean, after Lewis was born–”

“I know.” Russell nodded, swallowing thickly. He saw the worry shimmering in your eyes, and it cracked his heart a little. “I know I kinda lost it there. Took me by surprise, too. Trust me. Figured I had dealt with all that shit already, you know? But I guess seeing you with him and feeling all that love myself, I just-… I don’t know. I don’t know how she could do it… Ashton was one thing, but she just stood by. And I don’t even know what the hell she was up to while he took us out into those woods…” He shook his head as if to rattle the answer out of his brain. “And then when we found out you were pregnant again… I mean, I’d barely held it together with Lewis. Everything just became a blur. I couldn’t think straight anymore, and I worried all the time I’d be like them…”

“I tried to help,” you said softly.

“I know you did. Guess this was just something I had to figure out on my own,” he replied with a beat shrug.

“How’s your vision now? Still blurry?”

“Clearer than ever.” A smile flickered alive on his lips, green eyes boring into yours as he leaned in and kissed you slowly like he meant every word. Blowing a raspberry, he then turned his attention to the file in his lap. “So, what am I gonna find in there?”

“Honestly, nothing we haven’t already puzzled together,” you replied, teeth gnawing on your bottom lip. “But I found a couple of names associated with your parents. Thought maybe you could look at them and see if you recognize the person you saw in the woods.”

“I already know where this is going…”

“Russ, please, just–”

Russell interrupted you, placing a soothing palm on your thigh that curbed your enthusiasm. “I’ll think about it, alright?”

Satisfied, you raised two placating hands. “All I was asking…”

“How was the lasagna?”

After four hours in the basement, you and Russell quietly treaded up the stairs a few minutes after midnight, finding Colter in the kitchen, eating leftovers out of the ceramic form in the warm glow of the stove light. Tom, on the other hand, had passed out on the couch, only the blue flickers of the TV and the soft noises of a peaceful nature documentary filling the silence of the dark living room.

“Excellent,” Colter stated, swallowing down a mouthful of lasagna before speaking. “I told Tom he should be a chef in a restaurant or something.”

Russell’s brow knitted in doubt. “Really? Lemme try.”

“You just ate two entire bags of junk. You can’t still be hungry,” you argued with a giggle, shaking your head.

“It’s lasagna,” Russell said simply, grabbed a fork from the drawer, and dove right in.

That man would eat anything. You’d seen him do it, too. He didn’t even go hungry when he was lost in a desert.

“Wow, that is good,” Russell announced his judgement with a full mouth. “Maybe we should hire Tom for the brewery, huh?”

“I’m guessing this means you two talked?” Colter asked with a carefully arched brow.

“Hmm. I don’t know,” Russell mused in jest. “What d’you say, sweetheart? You taking me back?”

You rolled your eyes at his antics. “Guess I have to. God knows returning you is impossible.”

Russell laughed and slung an arm around your waist, pulling you closer. He kissed your temple.

But then you noticed Colter’s smile falter, his brows creasing in question. “Is your hair different?”

“Shit!”

Wide-eyed, you bolted back down the creaking stairs to the basement, hearing Russell’s laughter fill the kitchen.

“Was she wearing a wig? And her eyes too, right?” Puzzled, Colter tried to piece it all together. He had already figured by your extensive vocabulary of swear words that you might be a better match for his older brother than he had initially surmised.

“Yup, all fake, man,” Russell confirmed and smirked. “Still think she’s not my type yet?”

“No, I can see it now,” Colter admitted, chuckling. “So, you guys are good?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Russell nodded and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, swallowing.

Colter’s smile widened, filling the older Shaw’s stomach with more guilt. “That’s great. Happy for you, man. Guess that means you’re retiring now, huh?”

Russell scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, we’ll see. Always depends on what the wife decides, you know?”

Yup, he sprinkled that important bit of information into a joke. Then, he watched his little brother take a stumped step back, brow furrowing and unfurrowing and then furrowing again.

“Wha-, wife?”

Russell produced a popping sound with his lips like the noise of a bottle when the cork was pulled. Welp, this bottle was surely open now.

“Yup, got married in Thailand in 2011,” he added another helpful tidbit of information, but Colter’s jaw dislodged all the same.

“Alright, got this all figured out,” you said, sauntering back into the kitchen with a pastel pink towel wrapped around your head and a matching bathrobe. You’d just grabbed them from the dryer, the fluffy material still cozily warm. It was the best option, considering you didn’t want to mess around with your wig as well after popping the lenses back in had already cost you most of your patience. In your little bubble of bliss, you hadn’t instantly noticed the brothers staring at you. But once you did, your brows morphed into a frown. “What’s going on?”

“You two are married?” Colter asked, a pointed finger flicking from Russell to you.

You threw your arms up, looking at your husband. “I was gone for five minutes! What happened to telling him after the operation?”

Russell offered you a sheepish shrug. “Well, this old soldier’s getting weak too, apparently.”

“He said it like a joke…” Colter mumbled, still in the middle of processing this new revelation. His older, estranged-but-now-less-strange brother had a wife. A family. Friends. And he knew none of it. What else was there? Kids?

“Yeah, he does that...” You shot your husband a scolding sideways look. “Should I leave you two alone for this?” you then offered, hoping the answer was a goddamn yes.

“Why would you? You’re family, right?” Colter retorted with a dry smile and a sharp look.

You pursed your lips. While you could see some similarities between the brothers, you took note of one big difference: Russell wasn’t as sarcastic and sharp-tongued. Probably because Russell had always been more concerned with what he should, would, or could share with people in an overthinking loop, while his younger brother seemed obviously free of that burden.

“Don’t take it out on her,” Russell stepped in gently, which really was a warning. “She didn’t know about any of this. Kinda pushed her into it.”

“Seems to be your style,” Colter scoffed.

“Can’t work for the CIA without going through a baptism of fire, little brother,” Russell said simply, giving an unapologetic shrug of his shoulders.

“Why would you not tell me?” Colter stared at him, his look a mix of reproach and agitation.

“Look, you weren’t exactly welcoming during our first meeting,” Russell argued with a bit of bark in his deep voice, although confrontation was probably not the best approach. But why should he always have to take the blame for everything? He’d already done that for more than two decades.

“That was months ago,” Colter countered, scowling. “I’d like to think I’ve come around since then… Coulda told me after we saved Doug.”

Russell let out a small sigh of defeat, rolling his eyes back slightly. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “No, yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry, man, alright?” he apologized earnestly.

With a questioning brow, you carefully nudged your husband’s arm. “What happened to Doug? Is he alright?”

“Yeah, uh, he went to work for Horizon with me. I’ll tell you later, okay?” Russell replied, his voice a lot quieter as if sharing a secret, and if Horizon was involved he probably was.

“Is Tracy okay?”

“She’s fine. Little shook up. You should probably give her a call. Smooth things out,” Russell told you.

Tracy thought you worked in marketing at some company for the government. Whenever you, Russell, and Doug were stuck on a mission, the boys made you call her to “smooth things out” – aka reassuring her everything was certainly fine with her husband and he wasn't in any danger at all. They’d once made you call her from a Black Hawk. The noise had been fun to explain away – you’d told her you were picking up a client from a helicopter pad.

Colter chewed on the insides of his cheeks. “So she knows Doug, too?”

Russell nodded. “Yeah, me and Doug were mostly Delta, but SAD liked to borrow us from time to time. We ran in her team for quite a while. She was actually the one who recruited me.”

At his little wink your way, you smiled. He’d come along way from the sweet boy you had once teased like a special-forces-trained kindergartner.

“Listen, things were obviously a little complicated between me and her the last few years,” Russell (under)stated. “But I’ve brought you here for a reason, okay? Figured it’s time you meet your sister-in-law.”

Eyes drifting from you to Russell, Colter pursed his lips – a tell he shared with his brother.

“Are you mad? I can’t tell.” Frowning, Russell tilted his head.

“No,” you absentmindedly replied for Colter, who gave you a curious look but steered his attention back to Russell.

“No,” the younger Shaw repeated your assumption. “I mean, not more than I was before, you know?”

Russell’s creases only deepened. “No, I don’t know.”

“He means he’s indifferent about knowing or not knowing we’re married because he’s already pissed about not knowing about my existence in general,” you explained.

“Ah. Your nerd is showing, sweetheart,” Russell teased you with a smile that made your heart melt.

“Dory would like her,” Colter commented like the thought had just popped into his head – something else he didn’t share with his brother.

You’d always wondered about the youngest Shaw of the three. Russell could never tell you much about Dory. His memory had been one of a smart and feisty nine-year-old, not a young woman and physics professor.

Thumbing at you, Russell cocked a brow at his brother. “Is she right, though?”

“Spot on, actually.” Colter’s tongue poked his cheek, his gaze flickering with a hint of astonishment and new-found respect for you. “And I guess I’m not really mad either way. Just… surprising, you know? I should’ve asked. That’s on me.”

Russell seemed more than a little baffled to hear this, considering he had to pause to find an appropriate response. “No, uh, we’re good. I could’ve just told you, anyways.”

“Yeah, no, that’s alright.” Colter swallowed, sending his older brother a smile of forgiveness. “Honestly, I was glad to hear you weren’t alone all this time, so…”

Russell’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he pushed down the lump in his throat. With a nod, he averted his green eyes to the kitchen floor. “Thanks, man. Appreciate it.”

“Aw, aren’t you guys adorable,” you teased.

Colter wanted to retort something dry-witted, but Russell held up a warning finger. “Ah – wait for it… Trust me. She’s not done.”

“You girls need tissues or a tampon, maybe?”

“Oh, Dory would definitely like her,” Colter repeated his earlier statement with an amused grin.

Russell, on the other hand, shot you a pointed look, but that had barely ever stopped you before. “Okay, you can lay down. You don’t have to give him the initiation. No hazing my little brother,” he ordered you sternly, and you stifled a snort. “And no one better kidnaps him tonight and puts a bag over his head, alright? I don’t wanna pick him up beaten and bloody from some warehouse tomorrow morning.”

“Hm, what?” Colter’s brow furrowed. For the first time, you could see slight panic spread in his pupils.

Who was hazing who now?

You rolled your eyes in feigned annoyance. “Fine, we’ll leave him alone,” you acted your capitulation.

The younger Shaw blinked at you. “Thank you?”

“Should we at least tell him about the other thing while we’re at it?” you asked Russell with a suggestive look.

Thoughtfully, he paused for a beat, then clicked his tongue. “No, I got it from here. It’s getting late. We’ve been here long enough,” he decided. “This is less becoming a friendly ‘welcome-to -the-neighborhood’ dinner and more starting to look like an orgy to the neighbors. Especially since you’ve put on the robe.”

“It just came from the dryer. Look, it’s so soft and warm,” you argued, pouting, your palms caressing the fluffy material on your arms.

“Uh-huh.”

The little bob of his Adam’s apple made you grin slyly. The way his jaw ticked and his pupils widened with a primal hunger, you could tell he wanted to tear that robe right off of you. The thought caused a shudder to run down your spine.

“What, uh, other thing do you have to tell me?” Colter asked and smiled expectantly, tapping his fingers on the the counter.

Russell, however, grabbed his arm and dragged his curious little brother toward the exit. “I’ll tell you in the car,” he said and thumbed to the front door behind his shoulder. “Wait outside. Gimme five minutes, alright?”

Wordlessly, Colter nodded without argument, gave you a quick goodbye-wave of his hand, and strolled leisurely back to his car as if he knew exactly what his older brother intended to do.

As expected, Russell impatiently conquered your lips, roughly pressing you against the foyer’s wall, your arms draping around his neck.

“What’s the bedroom situation in this place?” he asked between kisses.

“First floor, west side, third window from the right. I’ll leave it unlatched,” you replied, smiling against his lips. “Tom’s always sleeping on the couch. Part of our cover is going to marriage counseling with Pastor Jeff, which happens to work out great for us.”

You exhaled a shuddered breath when one of his hands wandered past the robe and splayed warm against your ribcage, just underneath your breast. His thumb fought an itch to get closer.

“Wouldn’t do that, baby,” you murmured into his ear with an amused smirk. “That boner’s not gonna go away in five minutes.”

“Mmm, I know,” he groaned and dropped his head between your boobs, lips pressing a chaste kiss to your collarbone. If he continued on with this, your arousal would surely streak down your bare thighs soon. Luckily, he had mercy on the both of you. “I’ll talk to him and then come back, okay?”

You nodded with a smile. He kissed your lips, then your forehead, and then disappeared through the door with the same cometary velocity he had entered your vision.

And all you could do was hope you’d see him one more time in your life.

“So?”

4.3 seconds after Colter killed the engine of his pickup in a spot a block away to the west side of your house – as per Russell’s very specific instruction – he stared scrutinizingly at his older brother.

Impatience was also a family trait – one even their father had despised.

“Look, uhm, there’s no easy way to break the news…”

“Is this about you having two kids?”

When Russell’s eyes met Colter’s, he didn’t recognize any anger, hurt or resentment in them – just pure slyness. At least that was good news. His little brother was just going to be annoying about this whole thing.

“Yeah, remember those five minutes you left me alone in the car? I called Bobby. Had him check some things out for me. Wasn’t easy to find. I’ll give you that…”

As expected, Colter was going to be a smartass about it. He figured it out on his own. He won the game.

“Hmm.” Russell pursed his lips, nodding. “You do know the CIA is on your guy’s ass now, right? Shouldn’t have done it in their perimeter, man. Manny’s probably all over this by now…”

Then his brow knit as if the thought of his old friend had provoked an idea, his head tilting with narrowed eyes at the air vents on the dashboard. How long had that car been parked outside and out of sight again?

Like a game of Operation, Russell then used thumb and pointer finger as his tweezers to retrieve a tiny bug – the spy kind.

“Gotcha,” Russell muttered, smirking. He then held the bug close to the speakers of the radio before turning up the volume to its highest setting – only for a second. He switched the radio off, rolled down the window, and threw the unwanted listening device onto the pavement. “That should teach ‘em a lesson…”

Colter cocked an incredulous brow at his brother. “They bugged my car?”

“Oh, trust me, they bug anything they can get their greedy little hands on,” Russell retorted. “Would probably check for a tracker underneath, too.”

“Great, thanks,” Colter huffed wryly.

“Hey, you wanted in. That’s what they do,” Russell reminded him, shrugging, but there was a smile of amusement on his lips.

Colter only bobbed his head. “So, you and her? You guys are good now? Just like that? Seemed… easy. Sorta…”

Russell chuckled lightly, brushing a hand through his beard. He knew his relationship with you was unconventional, but it had always worked for you and him.

“Me and Y/N have a deal, you know? It’s not all black and white. I mean, we became aware a long time ago that the two of us operate in a lot of gray zones. But, uh, we always know we can rely on each other, you know? Doesn’t matter if we’ve been separated by time or space,” Russell explained to the best of his abilities.

“So what happened?” Colter prompted with the same amount of confusion. “Why did you guys split up? I saw on the birth certificate your daughter was only two years old. I mean, did you-… did you even know?”

Russell inhaled deeply, nodding. “I knew she was pregnant. When she told me back then, I-…” He paused, licking his lips. It wasn’t something he had ever talked about with anyone before – not even you. “Well, shortly after that, I had a breakdown and I-… I almost hurt her.” He choked on the words, fighting the sting in his eyes.

He’d tried so hard to forget, wasn’t even sure he had ever really apologized for it to you because he so badly didn’t want it to exist that he’d tried to wish it out of literal existence, and hence, never really blamed you for leaving like you did. He understood. In fact, he had even wished you’d leave. He had convinced himself you’d be better off without him – something he still believed to be true – but he also knew he wasn’t better off without you.

He’d been lost and alone. And maybe, he was being selfish by crashing back into your life now. Or Dory’s. And Colter’s.

“I mean, nothing ever really bad happened. It’s just-… That night I came scarily close,” Russell confessed, swallowing thickly. He still hated himself for that night and everything that followed. “It’s like a switch flipped, you know? I couldn’t do anything against it… And Lewis saw parts of it, and I was already impatient with him and short with her the weeks before, so I just left that night and disappeared for two months. Volunteered for some mission. Figured it was best for everybody.”

It’s better off if he never comes back…

Russell licked his chapped lips. The next part was the hardest.

“When I got back, she told me she got a job offer in another country, and that she would be taking it and taking Lewis with her. She wanted me to use the time to… I don’t know… solve this, I guess.” He let out a humorless scoff at the painful memory.

Russell hadn’t seen it at first, maybe because he hadn’t wanted to, his anger and pain blurring the truth. After his son had been born, Russell knew you could see him struggling, so you started digging deeper into his family and what really happened. And when you’d found something – Horizon – you’d told him you could infiltrate. Naturally, Russell had passed a hard no – it had been a five-hour long fight, but he'd emerged victoriously by the end. So, you’d told him he should do it, but he didn’t want to leave you, and he didn’t want to endanger and jeopardize his family.

He’d told he was fine, but he wasn’t. It kept gnawing on him – and gnawing and gnawing and gnawing… till you eventually pulled the plug and ended his suffering.

“I was exhausted, so I told her we’d talk about it in the morning. When I woke up, they were gone. Didn’t even notice she’d already packed.”

Colter was silent for a beat. “Was it PTSD or something?”

“Or somethin’,” replied Russell.

“But you’re good now?” Colter checked with a warily raised brow.

“Guess so…”

Truthfully, Russell didn’t know if he was or wasn’t. He’d tried hard to figure out what it was exactly that had set him off that night and fix it, but he didn’t know if that feeling would ever disappear for good. He just knew he had never felt that way again since then. But could he guarantee it would never come back?

He didn’t know.

“Look, all I know is, seeing you and Dory again helped, so…” Russell twitched his shoulders and sighed. He didn’t know what else to say, how to explain it better, but Colter seemed to understand anyway, reading between the lines.

Russell worried he’d be like their father.

“I think I get it.” The younger Shaw nodded and licked his lips. “You know, you’re not crazy like Dad was, Russ. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you’re crazy in your own way, but I wouldn’t worry about the other stuff.”

“Well, thanks,” Russell said, not convinced but appreciative of the vote of confidence. “Makes at least one of us…”

“I-, uh, I noticed their names,” Colter then said and clarified, “Lewis and Amelia. Like explorers. Like us.”

“Ah.” Russell smacked his lips and brushed it off, “Wasn’t really my idea. I told Y/N that story once. Guess she took a liking to it..”

“Are you, you know, gonna tell Mom?”

Russell was almost surprised by the question. The brothers had barely talked about their mother since they’d reconnected. Considering Colter had never brought her up again after their first meeting, Russell figured there was a reason for that – and he thought he probably knew the reason, too.

Russell scoffed a chuckle and looked at his little brother with an almost incredulous look. “I think you can guess the answer to that one,” he replied and figured it said enough. “Did you tell her I came back?”

Colter pursed his lips, and Russell took it as a sign of admission. So his mother knew. Great…

“Sorta,” Colter admitted hesitantly.

“What d’she say?” Russell almost smiled out of amusement. He already knew the answer, but his brother still seemed reluctant. “C’mon, you can tell me. I’m not gonna be butthurt after twenty years…”

“She told me to ignore you,” Colter finally confessed, but the words left a bitter taste in his mouth. They had ever since his mother said them, but even more so now that he knew his brother – and parts of the truth.

“Hmm,” Russell hummed with tight lips and ground his jaw.

Granted, the confession stung more than Russell would ever be willing to admit. The tiny, naive part inside of him had constructed a hopeless fantasy of his mother having a sudden change of heart over the last two decades and happily welcoming her firstborn back. Apparently, not a thing had changed, though, and he cursed himself for feeling disheartened.

“But I actually haven’t talked to her in a while now,” Colter added with a small shrug, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

“Huh, really?”

“Yeah, uh, and when I did, I didn’t exactly tell her I didn’t take her advice, you know? So…”

“Why not?” Russell’s brow furrowed a little more as he analyzed each word, simultaneously realizing why he had been so reluctant to share his life with Colter before – his subconscious had been afraid his alienated little brother would report back to the mothership.

Colter’s lips pursed. “Because I disagree.”

“Ah.”

Colter chewed on his lower lip. “Look, I know you and Dory wanna keep all of this in the past and play family – and trust me, I want that too,” he assured, but his heart was beating fast in his chest. “But I need to know, man. I need to know why she lied about this for twenty years and, you know, did all of this,” he insisted, and yet, Russell could tell he wasn’t done. He might have broken the dam. “She did it to you. I mean, aren’t you mad?”

“Of course I’m mad,” the older Shaw admitted, but there was no fire behind his words.

“Then why are you so calm?”

Amused, Russell chuckled, shrugging. “Probably ‘cause I’ve been dealing with this a lot longer than you, little brother.”

“So, what are we gonna do now?”

“We ain’t gonna do anything,” Russell clarified, his voice stern. He’d die to protect his family, you and the kids, and do anything in his power to keep you out of it, but Colter was a grown-up – a free agent. If he didn’t want to listen, Russell couldn’t force him. “Look, you wanna find out, you go find out. And if you do find something and need help, you call. But I can’t be involved in this,” he explained, his firm expression morphing into something more vulnerable and sincere. “And frankly, I don’t care that much. You, me, Dory, Y/N, the kids – that’s all that matters, trust me. You’re not gonna feel better or more… whole after finding those answers.”

“How do you know? Do you know what really happened?” Colter instantly asked, and Russell knew in that moment, it’d be hopeless. His brother wouldn’t stop till he found it – forever restless.

“No, I told you. I don’t,” Russell repeated, and while he didn’t know everything, he omitted that he knew something.

“What about Y/N?”

Russell froze at the bare mention of your name, his protective instincts kicking in. “Leave her out of this,” he all but snarled.

But Colter didn’t think about stopping. “Did you ever ask her? I mean, she’s CIA. She could probably find out something, right?”

“Yeah, I asked her once, alright? Was a long time ago,” Russell admitted, sighing. The intended lie would stick better if there was some truth to it – you had taught him that.

“C’mon, Russ… And?” Colter impatiently threw his arms up, brow raising higher and higher as he waited for an answer.

“She never found anything,” Russell said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

This time, it wasn’t just an omission. It was a blatant lie.

“I think whatever Dad was involved in – or both of ‘em – was just some activist shit. I don’t think the government cares.” Lie. “We both know he had a mental thing. Paranoid, probably schizophrenic… I mean, Mom used to pump him full of meds sometimes when he got too out of hand.” Truth. He then stole a glance at his little brother and saw the confusion shimmering on his face. Russell scoffed. “You didn’t know that, did you?”

Quietly, Colter shook his head.

“Well, you were a kid,” Russell said and hoped it would curb the blow slightly, although he knew better than that. “He always took something as far back as I can remember. She used to prepare his pills every evening after you and Dory went to bed. But when we moved to the cabin, he started refusing to take them. Said they made him ‘not clear-headed enough.’ Kinda ironic,” he shared and snorted. “When it got too bad, though, she’d still crush ‘em into his food.”

Colter took everything in with a nod but didn’t say anything more.

“You good over there?” Russell checked after a full minute had passed.

“Yeah,” Colter said and even tried to form a reassuring smile before the attempt failed. Instead, he swallowed. “Just a lot, you know? I didn’t know. I mean, I had some idea, but not-… not that.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Russell said, his voice almost a whisper in the silence of the night. “Like I said, you were a kid…”

When Russell finally left the car to sneak back to you, his shoulders felt a little lighter and his heart a little calmer. He might just float through that unlatched window tonight.

The bad news was, though, he might not be able to retire just yet.

Part 5: This Is a Start – FEBRUARY 7

Honestly, I should've called this chapter "Heart-to-Heart Part II" 😂 I'll see you for the finale next week, but as you know, it's not the end for them – only just the beginning 😉

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[tadpoletiddles]

𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧

PART 2

Brozone x Reader (fem)

WARNING: NSFW

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

“Oh, you have no idea.”

The words echoed through your head. You gulped and remembered what John Dory had stated before about 'saving the best for last.' Now, your thoughts began to wander to the possibilities of what was next to come. However, you were drawn back to the conversation at hand when a hand moved across your thigh and gave it a soft squeeze. "Y/N," your head swiveled to meet the voice. "How are you feeling, honey?" Bruce asked you. You gave him a light chuckle, "Like I'm not sure if I'm still dreaming or not." Bruce furrowed his brows slightly, giving you a sweet smile. His eyes lingered on yours, slowly trailing down to your lips. You not only noticed this but so did his brother, who leaned over in your ear to tease you, "So you've been dreaming about us, hm?" 

Well, shit. He’d caught onto you, hadn’t he? He may have been dense, but he wasn’t blind. Even if you hadn’t just outright told them you’ve been fantasizing about them, you figure he would have taken notice eventually, especially with how you acted towards him and Bruce. The way you’d giggle when they’d say something funny or the little doe eyes you had with something sweet. But what was most interesting to him was how you’d subtly tense up when either of them was close to you. How would your breath hitch as a hand was 'innocently' placed on your shoulder. Your body language gave you away well before your words had.

"And if I have?" you spoke. John let out a breath, taking his hand under your jaw and forcing you to hold Bruce’s gaze, "well then, you wouldn't be the only one." Hearing him say that gave you butterflies. Knowing that they may have wanted you as well was enough to prompt your tail to start wagging again. “Why don’t you tell us the dirty little thoughts you've been having about us,” John started, his thumb stroking your jawline. Bruce chimed in, “Come on, sweet girl, let us make them a reality.”

At a loss for words, the only thing that you managed to give them was “I…” The boys chuckled at your reaction, sharing a look of amusement.

“You think you’re ready, sweetheart?” Still struggling to form complete thoughts, you simply just settled for an "mhm." Oh, you were so ready. And cue your body giving you away again, as you could feel the slickness as you subconsciously rubbed your thighs together. "So, what would you like us to do, sweetheart? You must have some ideas?" Much closer this time, John Dory was speaking into your ear. His fingers drew light circles on the tops of your thighs.

There were so many scenarios that you had imagined in the past. Although, now that you were here, between them, you couldn't choose one. "Um... surprise me," you suggested, hoping they'd take the lead and make things easier on you. Well, maybe not that easier.

"Letting us decide? Brave girl~"John's hands were less gentle than Bruce's as he came to grip your thighs. "Are you sure that's what you want?" Bruce chimed in, "Yeah, yes," you looked him in the eyes as you had before, "please."

With a sharp tug to your hair, your head was pulled back to meet John Dory's gaze. Not to his surprise, or yours, a moan was pulled from your lips. Your head is tilted in his grasp, "Ive- we've wanted to do this for so long. "Then don't make me wait," you start to plead, "Please, I want it just as much as you."

And you don't have to wait. Within seconds of hearing you, he's moved his hands off you. You start to make an aggravated whine when John's touch had left. That is until you realize he'd already stripped himself of all of his clothes aside from his underwear and goggles, which he pulls off his head and sets on the side table beside your water. With your attention focused on JD, it takes you a moment to see they'd both done the same. You do a doubletake, snapping your head to Bruce. Eyes grow wide as they glance down at what lies between his legs. Oh boy, you thought, wondering how the hell that was going to fit all in your mouth, much less other places. Yet, your pussy was soaked and now aching for something to fill it. To the best of your abilities, you were going to try to make it work.

Without clothing to restrain it, Bruce's cock now stood at full attention. As you had expected, his hair down there was just as well groomed as that on his head, the same pretty shade of purple too. "Honey," he took notice of your staring, a slight blush on his face, "I appreciate the admiring, but um..." He looked away from you, "Could you please help? It's starting to hurt." Your tail swatted the air as you shifted to face Bruce and settled between his legs on the couch, "mhm." You shoot him a small reassuring smile.

Before you were going to do anything, you were going to kiss him, because fuck, you have been wanting to for so long. Thus, leaning in, you capture his lips in a soft, gentle kiss. He melted into you as your lips moved slowly in unison and all the tension that you'd both been holding in snapped. Bruce's hands found their way to your hips and guided you up into his lap. You straddled him, thighs pressing against his own as your weight relaxed onto him. Bruce was intoxicating. The smell of cedar and saltwater radiated off of him. It made the kiss all the more enjoyable. The haze let up briefly when John placed his hand on the back of your neck, running it up into your hair again. It was long enough to pry you away from his brother and steal your lips. His kisses were a bit rougher. That in no way meant that you didn't enjoy them. Even more so when he thrust his tongue past your lips and into your mouth. Bruce took this time to make his way down to your chest. He'd run a finger over your pierced bud, lightly rolling the jewelry. His fingers would soon be replaced by his tongue as it followed the path his fingers previously had.

"Mmmm," you moaned into John's mouth when Bruce clasped his lips around your nipple. The sensation of it sent flutters down to your core. You put a hand on John Dory's chest and pushed him back so you could kiss Bruce again; you had to pull him off your breast first, of course. For a few minutes, these minstrations would continue, and you would go back and forth between the boys. Finally, you broke the cycle and sat back on your arms, lightly heaving.

Bruce was sitting in front of you with his eyes glued onto your pussy, which had been spread open to him just as it had been all evening. It had been so hard for both he and John to be patient. He tilted his head to the side when you closed your legs, upset that you'd ruined his view for the moment. John, however, sat smiling because you were crawling towards him now. You were getting a little impatient now, wanting to have something inside you.

"Double trouble?" You asked slyly. John Dory gave you a look of confusion, "huh?" You wiped the trail of precum that was leaking down the head of his cock with your finger, then ran it over the tip slowly, which made John flinch. "You asked what I wanted," you paused, " I want both of you at the same time." John raised his eyebrows at you, peering over to Bruce to see if he'd heard what you said, "I think we can do that, sweetheart."

A mischievous smile comes to your lips. You sway your hips side to side, on your hands and knees. The couch sank behind you as Bruce knelt behind you. "I've been eyeing this beautiful pussy all night, fucking finally, Bruce huffs, leaning in closer to it. You feel his tongue give broad sweeps across your folds as he laps up the dripping juices. You merely hum in relief that he's finally touching you there.

"you wanna get started while he warms you up?" John refers to his cock in front of you, which was, fuck, also massive. To which you waste no time, giving a long lick up the shaft. Poor thing was so pent up that his hips bucked up into your touch. You gave him what he wanted, letting his cock slide past your lips and down into your throat. "oh...fuck," he groans, slipping his hands into the familiar place in your hair. You didn't stop until his tip was nuzzling the back of your throat. You hummed around him, moving your tongue across his shaft. It was now that you realized the sensations from your backside had ceased. With a pop, you pulled your head up off his cock to look back a Bruce, who was no longer eating you out but gently massaging your hips. "Ready, honey?" You nod your head, biting your lip.

Bruce lines himself up with your entrance. The head of his cock prods your folds before he gives a few slow glides through them. You could tell how soaked you were, considering how easily he could do so. His grip on your hips tightens slightly to hold you steady. Your eyes flicker back to John, whose hand is stroking your hair. You let a breath out as Bruce begins to push in. He is slow and gentle trying not to hurt you. "F-fuck," you gasp. John chuckles at your reaction, tilting your chin up to watch your face.

Once fully seated within you, balls deep, he sighs. He rubs your sides, allowing you time to adjust since he is larger than his younger brothers. There wasn't any pain, just a bit of pressure, which soon faded. You grind your hips back into his, hinting at him to move. Bruce pulls out slowly, then pushes back in. This rhythm was terribly slow, almost too slow, "Bruce," you whine his name, "Please, I need you." Your words make him melt like butter, and he obliges you with a hard, deep thrust. It sends sparks through your core, and you're unable to hold back the moan that follows.

As Bruce continues to thrust into you, John shifts onto his knees. "Double trouble," he says as your head is yanked back. He takes a finger, tapping at your lips, "Open up, sweetheart." Your mouth is open, tongue lolling out to greet him.

Now, you were being filled from both ends. Although the two were definitely at different paces. John was far down your throat, drowning out your moans, while Bruce's cock was stretching out your velvety insides, balls slapping against you with every thrust. You were in heaven. "Such a good girl, taking our cocks so nicely," John cooed. He held your head between his hands, guiding your mouth onto his cock. The feeling of being between them like this was far better than any of your fantasies.

It was so good that you were already close. Bruce was the first to notice, "Ngh, she's, fuck, squeezing," "Hm?" John looks at him. With each thrust from the two, you could feel the creeping tightness growing in your stomach. It's not long before the tighten releases, and your eyes are rolling back in your head as you cum. Bruce moans as your pussy clamps around him. Oh, it milks him to his own high, which he releases into you. He grabs your hips and slams deep inside you, filling you up with his seed.

John is quick to follow and pulls his cock from your warm mouth. His hand vigorously pumps his shaft, aiming at your open lips. "Mnghh," he grunts as thick strings shoot out into your mouth and onto your face. After swallowing what he'd managed to get in your mouth, your tongue sweeps across your lips, "Mmm."

"Whew, " John smiles tiredly and plops back on the couch momentarily. Bruce eases himself out, watching as his cum leaks out of you in globs, "oh, that's good," he whimpers. You're pulled back with him when he leans back. Bruce lays down, letting you nuzzle into his side, grinning. "I'm gonna go running us a bath, John says as he gets up. " Lifting your head up, you look at him, "Are you two gonna join me?" you ask. "Yes, sweetheart, is that okay?"

You smile, glancing between him and his brother, "That would be wonderful."

*+:｡.｡　you’re welcome ;)　｡.｡:+*

TAGLIST: @raydoitbetter, @benignbryophyta

[thewulf]

Just Keep Swimming || Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Summary: Hi there! If it's not too much trouble can I ask for a hangman x fem!reader kinda enemy to lover fic? There's a new squadron coming to top gun and there is some tension between the two squadron... Read Rest Here

A/N: Another long one! Little bit of made of squadron stuff to make the story flow/work better. Hope you enjoy!

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Y/N

Word Count: 9.4k +

“Dory!” Your head snapped up from the manual you were staring at, hopelessly lost in thought, “Are you paying attention, Lieutenant?” Your captain, Kasper, stepped forward eyeing you. He knew you were gone, lost in your head. You didn’t garner your callsign from just any Dory. Too often you’d be lost in thought almost ignoring anything your leadership was trying to teach you. It drove them mad. But it was just you. It helped that you were a damn good pilot. A really good pilot, exceptional even. Best in your squadron. You’d worked hard to be in that position. Putting in more flight hours than anybody around you almost combined. If you wanted to be the best, you had to beat the best. You always knew that.

“Yes Cap.” Nodding your head with the smallest smile spread across your lips you waited for his reaction.

Shaking his head as he stepped forward, he stopped in front of you table, “What did I say about calling me that? Care to share what I was just saying?” He asked glaring right at you. Although he couldn’t hide the hint of a smile that to his lips. You just drew that reaction out of him.

“The enemy will have fighter jets far superior to ours.” Ignoring his first question you paused flashing him the grin you always did when you won the little battle you were having with him, “Which begs the question, what’s our military spending all that money with?” Leaning back in the seat you watched for his reaction intently. This is what you loved to do, flip it around and put the heat on him.

You’d earned a few snickers from your fellow pilots. You’d always been the firecracker of the group. Sort of a loose cannon. You’d argued that it was because you were the only female in the squadron. You had to be a little tougher. A little snarkier. It worked for you though. When you’d finally landed in your squadron, you’d gelled with almost everybody

“That’s a good question. Take it up with the admiral next time you see him.” He sighed knowing better than to challenge you. Even when it didn’t look like you were paying attention you were always listening. You always had to be on. It wasn’t an option for you. If you weren’t on that’d be an excuse to remove you from the group. You’d never be the reason.

You nodded your head taking in what he said, “You know Kasper, I just might. That’s a really good idea.” You grinned seeing the slightly horrified expression. You really just might. You hadn’t a problem taking anything up with your captain. Why not try a little higher?

“Alright, onto the news. We’ll be traveling to Miramar for the next month.” He broke the news so casually it earned confused glances from everybody in the classroom. Miramar meant Top Gun. What in the absolute hell were you being called back to Top Gun for?

“Top Gun?” Cairo, another pilot, asked after registering what he really meant.

His smirk grew to a smile as he remembered his time there. He seemed equally as thrilled as the guys as soon as they realized, “We’re all getting called back to Top Gun. Joining the Dagger Squadron on a mission in Russia.”

Leaning back in the seat you decided to simply listen. Listening as the men erupted in both happiness and confusion. A few with annoyed looks knowing they’d be far away from family for a while. You didn’t know how to feel. It’s probably something dangerous. The last mission you went on being very short of successful it was hard to comprehend going in and doing something even harder.

The Navy employs four separate groups of elite pilots with the best rising pilots as the elder pilots aged out and promoted up. The squadrons consisted of the Dagger Squad stationed at Top Gun in Miramar. Your squad, the Red Rippers out of Virginia. The Wolves down in Texas and the Ace Squad in Nevada.

You’d been stationed in Virginia for the last four years. With the Rippers Squad for the last three. It had been a while since your Squadron flew something incredibly dangerous. The last mission just consisted of you and Red. They didn’t have the semi-fear that you felt hearing that statement.

You’d listened as all the men around you turned from confusion to cheering in glee. Most of them craved the danger. Danger made you nervous. You had to hide your fears as you feigned a smile. Playing into the cheers.

“A joint training for four weeks followed by a week-long deployment. Captain Mitchell, Maverick, will have more details when we arrive.”

You’d never been on a joint mission between two squads. You’d heard it happen before, but it wasn’t very common. Whatever the hell the mission was must’ve been serious though. Joint trainings were serious business that the Navy spent lots of money on. You knew you had to impress. You needed to redeem yourself. Fly a successful mission. Whatever the hell it took.

“Ten pilots. Five wizzo’s. Will be dropping ten successive bombs over a large intelligence base off the coast of Russia. It’s gone nearly undetected for almost five years. They don’t have a clue we’re onto them though. One pilot to one wingman with a wizzo. Each pair will drop two long range laser guided bomb over a designated part of the facility. The wizzo will guide both bombs in. We’ll be practicing heavily on the drop. There’s hardly any security and we’re planning a Tomahawk attack on the runway.” Mav paused making sure each student was listening. He didn’t know your squadron at all, but he sure had everybody’s attention. You looked around counting everybody. Twenty pilots and ten weapons systems officers gave Mav their full attention.

“You’re a shoe-in.” Jax, one of your very best friends leaned over while poking your side. He never let you forget just how good you actually were.

You shook your head, “You don’t know that. You don’t know how good they are. Didn’t they just like blow up a Uranium plant last year? Living legends.”

He rolled his eyes, “You beat Kasper yesterday Y/N.” It wasn’t often that he was beat, but it always seemed to be at your hands. Still, he got you a majority of the time. For every ten times he beat you, you beat him once in the midst.

“The place must be huge if it needs ten bombs to level it.” Steering the conversation away from topic of you and back onto the mission you didn’t love bragging about yourself.  The confidence you exuded was entirely manufactured for visuals

“Five million square feet. Two bombs per million square feet. Rapid succession within twenty seconds of each other. We can’t give them enough time for their defense to scramble. The good news is they’ve never had to worry about any attacks. So, they’ll be a little rusty. We’re going to be testing that. We’ll be dealing with SAM’s. Potentially drones. Recon’s doing more research on the base and its defenses now to confirm. Any questions?” Maverick continued bulldozing through the small side conversations that erupted at each pair at a table.

You nodded your head. You liked him. To the point and simple. He reminded you a lot of your captain, Kasper. He continued as he answered other aviator’s questions. You went into your own head imagining the mission. It didn’t sound overly complicated. Get in, get out and get home.

“Alright, planes up in fifteen.” Mav ordered bringing you right back to the present, “We’ll have Hangman against Dory first. Coyote and Berlin after.”

“Oh, this oughta be easy.” The blonde one laughed patting his partner’s shoulder.

His comment piqued your interest more than you wanted to admit. You didn’t really want to start a fight this early, but he was the one that spoke out first, “Why do you say that?” You turned around asking the man in row in front of you. You really should’ve just walked away. You were sure your first impression of the cocky guy was about to reign true, an utter asshole.

“Honey, you’re walking onto our base. No offense.” He smirked seeing the anger grow slightly on your face. He just loved getting a rise out of anybody that he possibly could, “But if you really have to know sweetheart. We’re the best of the best. Each one of us is better than each one of you.”

You hummed a little amused by the whole situation. This man was cockier than ever. Even finishing his comment with a dazzling smile, you were sure always worked for him. God, you’ve dealt with hundreds of these dickheads too many times before.

Taking a peek behind you, you noticed almost the entirely of your squadron paused turning to this guy. You didn’t like the expression on any of their faces. It seemed like Hangman had already pissed half his squadron off already too, “I wasn’t aware the air is magically different here. We don’t believe in home field advantage.” You laughed softly looking over at Jax who was nodding his head in agreement. The entirety of the squad had your back. Making sure you were good before they went to go get changed.

“We’ll see about that. In the air.” He paused eyeing you. Giving you a once over. Seemingly not used to getting talked back to. It made you smile. You loved taking people out of their comfort zone. It’s how you got to where you were.

You nodded beginning to walk out, “We sure will Hangman. Can’t wait to see you up there.” You’d noticed his last name was Seresin from his name plate. Connecting the dots, you put two and two together. This guy was the one with the second most live air kills, behind Maverick. It was no wonder he was such an arrogant asshole. You wondered how you’d fair in a dogfight had you been given the chance to try. All the missions you flew on were long range missile drops. You hardly encountered any air-to-air combat in your time.

You got the last word as you made a beeline towards the locker room changing for the training session. This was the worst. When your anxiety got the best of you. Nerves so deep it felt like you were choking on them. Luckily your thoughts were interrupted as you heard footsteps come from the entrance of the locker room, “Ignore him. He’s an asshole.” She walked closer holding her hand out, “Natasha, Phoenix.”

Taking it in yours you smiled, “We’ve both dealt with hundreds of him by now, I’m sure. What’s another?”

Her soft snicker could have been taken as innocent, “Hangman is… a very special breed. One of a kind I’m afraid.”

You nodded zipping the front of the suit all the way up. Checking your hair repositioned a few bobby pins making sure no hairs were out of place, “Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind. Y/N. Dory.”

“I’ve heard good things.”

You smiled, “Likewise. So, what’s his deal?”

She shrugged, “We call him Bagman for a reason. He’ll leave you high and dry for a shot any day. He’ll play by the rules though. Watch your back.”

You nodded along adjusting your helmet to better fit, “Noted. Watch out for the dickhead.”

That earned a laugh from your fellow pilot, “To say the very least. Good luck out there and please, kick his sorry ass. He needs a good humbling.”

You grinned, “You got it.” Walking out of the locker room you felt that surge of confidence you always felt when you walked to your plane. Man did you love your job.

Being in the air was like nothing else. It came so naturally to you. You flew closely behind Kasper while Hangman flew closely behind Maverick.

“Alright. No going below the hard deck. Hard deck is 2000 feet. No other rules. Fight how you see fit.” Maverick’s voice broke you from the daydream you were in. No rules and a hard deck that low? This was about to be so much fun.

“Mav and I will be in the air to monitor.” Kasper spoke quickly after Mav wrapped it up. You nodded along, easy enough. You’d done these training exercises hundreds of times with the guys in your squad. How much harder could it be with Hangman really?

“What’s the punishment for Dory when she loses?” Hangman chided in before Mav could give you the green light. All you could do was laugh. This fella sure was cocky.

“250 sit-ups for the loser.” You wouldn’t dare let him get the last word in. Plus, you knew how fucking hard sit-ups were for the men in your squadron. They always started crying at 150 while you flew through them, they were cake for you. Just another day of training really.

“That’s a hell of a punishment.” Kasper spoke up. You knew he was shaking his head in that cockpit. He was always shaking his head with a smile on his face. You never ceased to surprise him.

“I like it.” Mav agreed with you, “250 sit-ups for the first person to get shot down. It’s going to be a dogfight. On my command. Go.”

You dove immediately. Your plan was to lose him low in the mountains. They gave you a 20 square mile range to fly in, which wasn’t a lot. The closer you got to the hard deck the harder it would be for him to detect you. You didn’t have time to pay attention to what he was doing. That might’ve been a mistake as he found you easily and was on your tail immediately. You heard your radar beeping as he tried to lock onto to you.

Well shit, he might’ve been better than you were planning to give him credit for. Eyes narrowing you pushed it a little faster to get into the mountains. It was so much easier to dodge lock when you were constantly moving side to side.

“Darling, this is too easy.” He nearly locked on to your jet before you dove even further. He followed relentlessly as you dodged and swerved through the canyons and valleys of the mountain.

“Where are you off too?” He questioned as you pushed him to his limits. It’s a known fact that shorter women pilots were able to take the g-forces far better than their much taller counterparts. But he was handling this well. You just had to hit all those turns just a little bit harder.

You couldn’t seem to shake him as he kept pace with you. It wasn’t easy and you were making it absolutely impossible to get a lock on which was beginning to piss him off. Usually, it only took him a few minutes to take someone out. You were much, much smarter than the guys in his unit. He should’ve known as the only person that could beat him was Natasha. The women had the brains, and he knew it. And you seemed to be even more strategic than Phoenix as you kept diving and rising just to throw him off even further.

And those brains paid off. You knew you couldn’t do this forever. Kasper and Mav would come in and shoot the both of you down. It wasn’t supposed to be a game of cat and mouse but a dogfight instead. Checking out the map you found a straightaway that would let you go up and over without risk of hitting the mountain side.

Hangman was giddy when he saw where you were heading. This was his only literal shot he could get on you. What he certainly didn’t expect was for you begin pulling some Maverick moves. Moves that not even Kasper dared to try. Moves that made even Hangman a little leery to try. Kasper always claimed he loved his life too much to pull the ‘shit that you do’ off.

You pulled up. Before Hangman could follow, he watched as your wings turned down almost stopping you in mid-air nearly halting your speed down to zero knots. Hangman darted right past you. ‘Gotcha’ you whispered to yourself as you hit the stick forward beginning to chase him down.

“Easy my ass.” You giggled speeding right back up hightailing it behind him.

“Fucking serious?” Hangman grumbled as he realized he was now being chased, the mouse. This simply didn’t happen to him. He tried to think fast but you were faster.

“As a damn heart attack, sweetheart.” You locked on before shooting him down.

“Fuck.” Hangman sighed hitting his head against the stick.

“Damn. Good work Dory.  That’s a kill.” Maverick chimed back in, “Go ahead and land. Jake, you got 250. Don’t short them.”

“Oh, don’t you worry. I’ll be counting.” You chimed in. Hearing Kasper’s hearty laugh. You knew you made him oh so proud. He defended you until his face was blue. You had to repay him by backing up your mouth that often ran a too far. You hadn’t let him down though. You backed it right on up.

“There’s really no need for that.” Hangman grumbled as you followed him back down to the runway. Both Mav and Kasper were staying up so long as they had fuel guiding the next groups up.

“There really is.” You countered knowing you were slowly driving him up a wall.

“Has anybody ever told you that you were annoying?” You could hear the frustration dripping through his responses. The laugh that followed was sincere.

“All the damn time. In fact, Jax told me that I was this morning.”

“Christ.” He sighed descending down to the landing strip. Coyote and Berlin were lined up ready to take off once the two of you landed.

“Did I just hear a good old Christian country boy take the lords name in vain?” You gasped knowing exactly how to press his buttons. He sure was special but you knew exactly what to do to keep that bark back inside him.

“I’m not responding anymore.” He grumbled. Somehow you knew he had a stupid little smile on his face. You had a big ass smile on your face as you hopped out of the cockpit of your jet once you landed.

Hangman stood by his jet holding his helmet looking pissed at himself. You nearly skipped over thrilled you got the upper hand so easily against him.

“Good job up there.” He grumbled as you approached.

“Is that a compliment?”

He nodded, “One and only.”

You grinned, “I’m honored. Thanks Jake. Now get to it.”

The two of you chatted causally back and forth. The front that he had in front of the other guys nearly vanishing as you started talking. The conversation surprisingly coming very easily between the two of you. Something you hardly expected at the beginning of the day. You wished you knew how rare of an occurrence this was.

“You guys coming to the Hard Deck tonight?” He asked as he finished up the 250. Naturally he did it with ease and didn’t even complain to you once. You had to admit that Phoenix was right. There was something so different about this man.

“That depends. Are we allowed?” You smirked sensing the tension between the two groups of nearly all men early on in the day. You and Natasha got along easily enough the boys should’ve been able to do the same. Naturally, the Dagger Squad wasn’t too thrilled about your groups appearance, especially on their base. There was bound to be undeniable tension. You thought they’d get over it. But no, they could never. They were like dogs marking their territory everywhere.

“You graduated from Top Gun, right?” Jake was full of Jokes. Every class in Top Gun seemed to make their way to the Hard Deck. It was right around the corner from the base, and it was easy going, The two things pilots needed.

Rolling your eyes you nodded, “We’ll be there.”

“I’ll buy you a beer.”

You shook your head while standing up, “No need.”

“Why? Got yourself a man back home?” He smirked wiggling his eyebrows at you.

“I don’t. I can pay for my own drinks. Nothing good happens when a guy buys you a drink.” You hummed beginning your walk back to the locker room. He followed like a little golden retriever puppy right behind you.

“I’d disagree with that.”

“You have your opinions, I have mine.” You shrugged trying your best to keep him behind you. Unlucky for you his stride was much longer than yours, catching up to you like it was nothing.

“Come on sweetheart. Just one?”

“Why are you so adamant Hangman?” You returned his question with one of your own.

“You kicked my ass up there. I think that deserves a drink.” Was he trying to make the peace with you?

“Will it shut you up if I give in?” You didn’t really want to give in, but man was he persistent. Sure, he would’ve kept pestering you all night if you kept the game going.

“You know it darling.” He stopped in front of the door that led to the women’s locker room smirking right down at you.

“Then you can buy me exactly one drink.” You hated giving in but you had a feeling the man you’d simply never stop.

He nodded, “That’s what I like to hear.” He stepped aside heading to change just like you. You took your time putting your regular military khakis back on. Not entirely eager to go sit in a room full of hyped-up men ready to go fly. That was the one downside of going first. Waiting for everybody else to go.

You walked back into the classroom taking a seat at the empty desk. Jax must’ve been coming up since you didn’t see him in the room. You didn’t really feel like listening to the radio, no matter how entertaining.

Hangman’s loud voice pulled you out of the manual you were going through. You suppressed the eye roll when you heard him tell the other guys about how lucky you got up there and that he had you the next time, no problem.

Again, you didn’t want to approach him, but he really didn’t leave you with a choice. You couldn’t let him just sit there and run his mouth.

“Luck?” You laughed behind him as he talked to the guys around him, “That’s not what you said twenty minutes ago, Hangman. Might I repeat what you said? Something about me kicking your ass?”

He turned with wide eyes completely unaware you stood behind him, arms crossed over your chest with an unimpressed look. He kept underestimating you. He needed to knock that off or his reputation would be as good as gone by the time the mission rolled around.

“Yeah,” The one with a mustache behind him agreed with you, “Didn’t sound like much luck on the radio Hangman.” He tipped his head at you as if to thank you. It seemed as though Hangman was a touchy subject even within his own squadron.

He sighed knowing you got the better of him, “Luck and skill.”

“Or just skill. Not all of us need luck to be successful.” You were officially annoyed with this version of Jake. Not the guy who you were chatting with thirty minutes prior. That guy had a personality that was somewhat redeeming. This guy was insufferable.

The one behind him started laughing, “We all get beat Hangman. It’s okay to admit defeat.” He egged him on. You officially liked the dark-haired moustache man. He seemed to find immense enjoyment out of antagonizing the guy. Almost as much as you.

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll see who’s the real winner after the next few weeks.” He couldn’t seem to back down. Not willing to admit defeat just yet.

“We sure will. Can’t wait to find out.” You walked away right back to your seat waiting for the rest of the class to go through their training for the day. Luckily the latest version of the F-18 manual had come out giving you something to scour through as you waited.

Walking into the Hard Deck with Jax had never felt so good. It’d been far too long. The two of you made it over to where the rest of the two squadrons were mingling. The tensions were still a little too high for comfort. Hopefully the alcohol would lower everybody’s hostility not heighten it.

You took a seat next to Berlin and Bob. You’d taken a quick liking to the gentle naturedness of Bob. He sat behind you in class asking you a few questions as the two of you scoured through the new manuals. The only two not actively listening to the radio comms. Quickly you spotted Jake sitting at the bar with Javy. Javy had been one of the few Dagger Squad members to introduce themselves to you. The rest seemingly put off by the extra squad at their base.

Who you didn’t spot was your old partner in the skies, Red, sitting right next to them. He sat next to them in his civilian clothes being as discreet as possible. It’s not that he wanted to hide from you. He just didn’t know what to say to you. It was difficult. The two of you thought you were untouchable in the skies. Until you weren’t.

“Lieutenants.” Red held his beer up to Jake and Javy. You’d turned back to conversation with both Bob and Berlin. The two biggest nerds keeping you enthralled with whatever they kept going on about. It’s not like you understood the physics they kept going on about.

Jake gave him the up and down, unable to figure out who and the hell was talking to them, “Lieutenant?” He questioned back as if to ask who he was.

He nodded, “I once was. Had to retire. My wingman and I took a few nasty hits on our mission months ago. I got stabbed in the eye on my decent down. My wingman almost bled to death. Needless to say, you can’t fly with one eye. Call sign’s Red. Just took a job as a Chief Warrant Officer though.” He held his beer up to the pilots.

“Cheers.” Jake held his beer up. The three of them drinking in silence until Jake couldn’t take it anymore.

“You’re wingman. Does he still fly?” He didn’t know why he was so curious but he was.

Jake missed the quick glance he threw you through the crowd, “She does.”

Jake took a long sip of his beer contemplating his next move. Did he really want to know? He did, “What happened then?”

Red sighed leaning his back against the barstool, “Recon didn’t do their job. We got ambushed right in the middle of the mission. It was supposed to be a few long-range bomb drops. No big deal. We’d done it hundreds of times before. This was different though…” He paused looking down like he had failed you, “There were so many SAM’s that we couldn’t shake. She went down defending me. I didn’t last much longer. Got stabbed in the eye by a tree, I think. I don’t really remember. Doctor said I was lucky that’s all that happened. My wingman though. She took the brunt of it. Found her lying in the snow shivering half conscious. When I rolled her over there was a 10-inch cut running right next to her spine. Doctor was amazed she even survived. Said she should’ve died from the blood loss. She got lucky the cut didn’t hit anything crucial. Doc said whatever it was that cut her missed her spine by inches. Miracle really. She made a full recovery in a few months. She’s flying right now.”

“Is she good?” Javy asked, curious as ever.

“Good?” Red laughed thinking of all the stunts you’d pulled over the years, “She’s the best damn pilot I’ve ever gotten the privilege to fly with. She put her life on the line for me and would do it again in a heartbeat. I’d do anything to go fly with her again. But when you lose an entire eye it’s hard to convince the Navy.” The three of them chuckled at his joke around the subject. He was trying to lighten the drawn down mood.

“What’s her name?” Jake asked.

He shook his head, “She wouldn’t want me to say. It’s between the two of us and her squad. She’s not looking for any points.”

That’s when Jake heard your laugh. He turned towards you with a warm smile on his face, “Got it.” Jake failed to turn back towards Red as he collected another beer from Penny for you, “I’m sorry. Not be rude but I told Dory I’d buy her a drink.”

Red laughed unironically and nodded, “Go on. I’m sure she needs it.” The three of them laughed as Jake walked over to you. Javy kept the conversation going with the retired Pilot who was returning as a CWO. He’d gotten fast tracked with the aviation department after the unfortunate incident. That’s why he was here after all. Kasper invited him out to help out with the mission and he jumped at the opportunity. He just hadn’t had the courage to tell you just yet.

Red simply smiled as he watched your face scrunch up as the pilot walked over to you. That was the same damn face you’d make at him for years as the two of you trained together. As much as the two of you got on each other’s nerves you loved the other harder. Red finished the glass that Penny poured him and headed out. Tomorrow. That’s when he’d tell you he was back.

To say the next few weeks were anything but challenging would be a vast understatement. You’d put a target right on your back after handing Hangman that first defeat. Not only was he, but everybody in his damn squadron had it out for you. They had to beat Dory. But you didn’t let them. You had to hand it to everybody though, they were making you the best pilot you could be. Having to be so technically sound and anticipating in the air wasn’t an easy task.

Jake managed to beat you a few times in all the trainings. But you still had the edge. Every two times you beat him, he beat you once. Natasha was right, Hangman was a very special kind of guy. He made you so irate one moment and then had you giggling like a middle school girl with a fiery crush the next.

Just as much as he drove you mad you did the exact same to Jake. He’d never met anybody like you. You were nothing like Natasha but every bit as confident, if not more than the girl. You never seemed to let any comment bring you down only drive you further. He knew what to say to get under your skin. You knew what to say to get under his.

It all hit a breaking point when you and Hangman were against each other again in another dogfight training. Mav and Kasper just seemed to love to pair the two of you up. Neither one of you wanted to give it up in this training session which led to Maverick and Kasper yelling at the both of you on comms to let up, both of you ignoring him, you almost running into Jake and narrowly avoiding the side of the mountain and Jake completely fucking the frame up of his F-18, bending it so it was unflyable as he tried to shoot you down.

To say Maverick gave you an earful was the understatement of the year. Kasper simply stood there and watched as he berated the both of you. Threatening Court Martial and all. Truly, you’d never been so frightened by a leader in the military. Kasper must have noticed the expression on your face as he simply shook his head once Maverick was done tearing into the side of both of you. You felt lucky you weren’t having to go see the Vice Admiral on base, Cyclone. Now that was a terrifying man.

Both you and Jake stood there in silence. Both too afraid to speak or move. You’d surely done it now. Your chances of getting picked for the mission were slim to none now. It was so quiet you were sure that was Jake’s heart you could hear hammering in his chest, or yours.

“That could’ve gone better.” You whispered. It almost sounded like you were yelling it was so quiet in the hanger. The rest of the class was surely in the classroom waiting on you. They definitely heard everything on the radio. You were sure one of them heard the nice ass chewing that just commenced.

“Fuck.” He ran his hands across his face through his hair. You watched as the emotions crossed his face and ended in anger, directed right at you, “What the fuck was that?”

Was he really blaming you? “What was what? We were training.”

“You wouldn’t stop.” He frowned.

“Neither would you!” You mimicked him with a frown right on your face.

“Because you wouldn’t!” He could never be wrong, could he? It’d always be your fucking fault. He was so exhausting. You didn’t know how much more of him you could realistically take. While the highs were very high with the man, the lows were just as low. It was a roller coaster ride you suddenly wanted off of.

“Oh my god. Are you serious right now?” Eyes wide you walked away from him, quickly.

He followed quickly, “What is that you say? As a heart attack.”

You stopped so quickly he almost ran right into you, “Has anybody every told you how insufferable you are?”

The smirk that crossed his face almost made you want to slap him. That’d give him far too much satisfaction though, “All the time.”

Your face saddened just enough to get to him for a second, “I didn’t really think you were Hangman. I thought that was just a front. That’s so… disappointing.” Walking away slowly this time he didn’t dare follow. You hit him right where it hurt. You really thought he was an asshole. All that work he did put in was shattered in an instant. He had to admit he was being a bit of a dick.

Once he made it back to the classroom you were already sitting with Jax. Not daring to take a single look in his direction. Jake saw the comforting squeeze Jax gave you. He knew it was because of him.

Mav went on and on about how we weren’t clicking as a team. You had a sneaking suspicion it was because of the tension between you and Jake. Almost everybody seemed fine besides the two of you. You could only look at your notebook in shame, not daring to look towards the front like you always did.

“Alright. Go to lunch. I don’t want you reporting here after. Get to the Hard Deck. We’ll be playing some good old fashioned dogfight football to get you all gelling just a little bit better.” Mav walked out of the room followed by Kasper.

“The hell is dogfight football?” You asked Jax who looked just as confused as you were.

Bob so kindly explained as best he could. You just knew you were in for a hell of time. After changing and riding to the beach with Jax you both made it out to where most of the squadron already stood. You looked over to Phoenix and Halo noticing they were both in just sports bras and shorts. The t-shirt was already clinging to the sweat on your skin. You really should’ve thought this one through. You pulled on Jax giving him the help me face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked once the two of you were out of ear shot.

“Please tell me you have a tank in your car? I’m too hot in this t-shirt.” Your expression must not have given off how panicked you felt.

He shrugged, “Take it off then?”

You sighed, “What about the big ass scar down my back Jax?”

Scrunching his face, he thought for a second before responding, “Just take it off. Nobody will even notice. It’s a bunch of jacked up dudes ready to go.”

“Really?” You looked at him skeptically.

“Yes, Y/N. You’re fine.”

Rolling your eyes, you slid the shirt off. Back facing the rest of the group. Jax would’ve been right if Jake wasn’t already staring right at you. His eyes crinkled as he took in the sight before him. An almost footlong scar racing down your back had his eyes nearly bugging. That pilot at the bar wasn’t lying. It was you? You should’ve died before Jake was ever going to meet you? That realization just wasn’t okay with him.

His heart started racing as he watched you walk back down the beach towards them with Jax. It hit him that he absolutely loved training with you. There was a world where you probably didn’t make it out of that crash alive and he had to do this without you. That also wasn’t okay with him.

The whole situation wasn’t sitting quite right with him. He was beginning to realize how much he enjoyed having you entangled in his life. How much he loved riling you up. How much he adored seeing you smile at his expense. He loved that smart ass mouth that always seemed to put him in his place. He cherished your presence. You.

He knew he had a whole lot of work to do to change your mind. He was going to have to do the most un-Hangman like things to win you back over. He was going to be himself. That’s when you smiled the most around him. He could do it.

He lined up opposite you on the line, “Hey pretty lady.” He smiled warmly. It turned into a frown when he saw you roll your eyes.

“Really, Hangman?” You spoke his call sign with so much disdain it made the comment sting that much worse.

“I’m sorry.” He blurted out, “For earlier, for now. For everything I’ve put you through.” He spoke quickly before the ball was snapped. You gave him a funny look before running off for the play. Was he being serious?

When you lined back up with the next play, he just looked at you, waiting for you to respond, “You’re not joking?”

“No! I’m sorry, I… I have no excuse.” He sighed almost forgetting you were in the middle of a game before you took off again. You were loving this game right now. These runs gave you a chance to think. Not that you’d come up with a good response. You weren’t very good when it came to this stuff. Talking about feelings.

“Okay.” You nodded gaining the courage to look up at him.

His concentration on you broke as he smiled hearing that response. It wasn’t great but it certainly wasn’t bad. You weren’t all out rejecting him at this point, “Okay. Yeah?” He nodded hoping to get something else out of you.

“Yeah. Yeah okay. Sure.” You weren’t sure why any words were coming to your brain.

He laughed at that, “What’s your favorite color?” He asked changing the subject.

You raised an eyebrow before darting off. This time you caught the football scoring one for your team. Jax was right, nobody seemed to give a shit about that red scar. Even if they did, they did a good job hiding it. That or your squad mates threatened them. It certainly wasn’t out of the question.

Both you and Jake were tapped out. He sat next to you again, waiting patiently for your answers, “Sometimes it’s blue, the color of the sky on a bright sunny summer day blue. Sometimes it’s green. Like when you find that perfect Christmas tree on a cool winter day. And sometimes it’s orange. The orange of the sunset when you’re at the beach on a crisp fall night. There’s nothing like it really.” You weren’t lying. Your favorite color rotated just like the seasons seemed too.

“Wow. I was just going to say green.” He coolly scratched the back of his head suddenly feeling terribly less than. How could he keep up with you if that’s how you thought? He knew you were smart not downright brilliant.

You smiled looking up to him, “Nothing wrong with that. You can like green. There doesn’t need to be a reason.”

He shook his head, “And here you are comforting me.” He was at a loss for words as he studied you expression. Suddenly he didn’t give a shit if Bradley or Javy walked over and watched. He didn’t seem to care. It was about you. How could he have been so damn blind not to see it?

You shrugged, “It’s the truth, so.” Playing it off as nothing more you tuned your head towards the setting sun outlining your squad and the dagger squad playing football.

He smiled seeing you so coy. He’d found a weakness. Something he wasn’t planning to exploit, “Do you have any siblings?”

You nodded thinking of your past life. A life so innocent compared to this one, “I do. A younger brother. What about you?”

“A couple of sisters. A few older and one younger.”

You grinned, “Lucky you. Sisters are a blessing.”

“So are brothers.” He countered knowing it’d get a rise out of you.

Raising your eyebrows you continued, “I didn’t say they weren’t.”

He sighed knowing he had to let the ego drop, “They are a blessing. Each one of them. They’d be horrified at how I’ve been treating ya sweetheart.” The term of endearment tumbled out so easily it almost slipped by you.

You prayed your foundation was heavy enough to hide the blush. Having a sneaking suspicion, it wasn’t you continued talking trying to distract him, “If you could only eat one type of cuisine for the rest of your life what would it be?”

He grinned, “I was supposed to be asking you the questions. But to answer yours, it’d have to be Tex-mex. I could eat it all day every day.”

You nodded smiling wide not saying a word.

“What?” His smile was unlike one you’d seen on him. It seemed so genuine and sincere. Like he was smiling at you for this first time.

“That’s the most Texas answer you could’ve given me.” Your grin only widened seeing his smile turn to shock then guffaw.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Can I tell you something?” He asked once his laughter died down. Nodding your head, you watched the game unfold before you. Smiling as you saw Berlin tackle Jax out of the corner of your eye. The boys were having a hell of time.

“Shoot.”

“I find you fascinating.” He stopped before he went on. He knew a big confession was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t yet. Not until you trusted him. He’d started to burn the bridge and he was desperately trying to put that fire out before the bridge snapped.

Shaking your head slightly in disbelief you had a hard time believing him, “What?”

“Absolutely fascinating. And incredibly beautiful. One of the best pilots I’ve flown with. The most unafraid person I’ve worked with… I could go on…”

You stopped him, “Don’t. Thank you.” You smiled to yourself gleefully. How this man could make you feel such things in such a short amount of time.

“Anytime sweetheart.” His goofy grin was noticed by almost everybody playing in front of them. Jax wanted to slap it right off his face. What was more concerning was your face. You looked utterly taken by him. A look he’d quite literally never seen on it before. He wanted so desperately to disapprove but he knew it was bound to happen. The way one moment you complained and the next you had nothing but good things to say gave him whiplash.

 Eyes moving up to the handsome man you had to wonder where all of this was coming from? Did your words actually mean something to him? You’d only known him for three fucking weeks, but it felt like three years at this rate. The intensity between the two of you was bubbling up and hitting a head, “Where’s all this coming from Jake?” You had to ask. As fun as it was to play twenty questions with the man you needed to know.

Did he want to tell you he knew? How much your words from earlier already affected him and seeing that fresh scar running down the right side of your spine pushed him over the edge of realization. He liked you. Maybe even more than liked you. He’d never admit that out loud though. He’d never met a woman so sure of herself. It all made sense now. Why he wanted to be around you. Why he found enjoyment poking fun at you. How it hurt him when you were hurt from Mav’s words and his. He realized he never wanted to be the cause of your anguish. Only the root of all your happiness.

“I met a pilot friend of yours at the bar a few weeks ago, Red.” He stated so causally.

Giving him a quizzical look, you had to wonder how in the hell had he known Red? Your guy. Your partner in the sky, “He didn’t tell you…” You paused not sure what the hell you wanted to say. It was never easy admitting when you went down. Nonetheless shouldn’t have survived. It was awkward to talk about. Like you weren’t good enough at your job.

Jake shook his head quickly, “He didn’t say who, he just told Javy and I what happened.”

“How did you know…” Again, it suddenly clicked. The fucking scar that dragged along your back. Nobody noticed it except for Jake, “The scar.” You stated continuing to look ahead letting out the breath you had been holding in.

“He didn’t realize we’d be playing football when he told us the story.” Jake laughed trying to ease your discomfort. He wouldn’t lie about it. That was no way.

“Yeah.” You smiled softly, “I don’t blame him. I’m just glad he’s back. He was talking about retiring for good.” He wasn’t here. He was with Hondo training a few new guys all the ins and outs of the F-18.

“And you?” Jake asked.

You hadn’t really been asked that in the six months since the accident. It was assumed that once the Doctor said you’d make a full recovery you’d be right back on track. That’s what you did. Not even sure if you’d properly processed all the trauma you went through just months prior, “It wasn’t even a thought.”

“Well, I’m glad.” Jake smiled down at you even though you were so intent on staring straight ahead, “I’m happy you’re here.”

“Are you?” You hadn’t a clue where that came from. It’s not like Jake was the worst person you’d come across, but he certainly had shown you a side you weren’t particularly fond of. Even if he had been complimenting you moments before. Finding some courage, you looked back up at him curiously.

He took a second to come up with the right words, “I’m so happy you’re here. You’ve made me a better pilot. A better person. I know how I’ve come off to you and it wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. When I saw that scar along your back, just like Red was describing I realized a few things. There was a chance that you could’ve never had made it here. You could’ve died before I even got the chance to meet you. It made me realize just how important you are to me. I… I can only apologize for the way I’ve treated you before, but I promise you I won’t do it again.”

Placing your palms behind you in the sand you leaned back taking in every word. Jake was a whole lot of things, but a liar wasn’t one of them, “Okay.”

“Okay.” He continued smiling knowing you weren’t terribly good at words when it came to stuff like this. The dichotomy between your personality, a spit fire in the sky yet too shy to say a word when it came to emotions, “Would you be willing to give me a second shot? I won’t disappoint you this time.”

You nodded, “Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice and I’ll find somebody to kick your ass.”

A hearty laugh escaped his lips, “I’ll let you kick it, how does that sound darling?”

Grinning and nodding it felt good to talk to the man you’ve been harboring a crush on, “That sounds amazing. You better not mess it up again or I’m coming for it.”

“You know, I completely believe you.”

“Good.” You giggled feeling all the tension finally leave your body. It felt so damn good letting it all out in front of him.

He sighed. Looking at him fully you could see there was something bothering him. Like he wanted to keep going but was holding back his tongue.

“Spit it out Jake.” You wanted to roll your eyes, but he was trying. Having battles in his head on how to best handle the situation.

“Are you okay? He said you should’ve died. That… that can’t be easy.”

Were you okay? You still loved being up in the air. You loved everything about flying. In fact, the accident made you only want to become a better one. But were you okay personally? You thought you were. You’d been to a couple of military required therapy sessions that didn’t do a whole lot for you.

“I think so. Haven’t really thought about it much.” Admitting that to him was hard. You were a sure person. Think wasn’t in your vernacular, you knew. But you didn’t know if you were okay. You thought you were, but could you really be?

“Does it hurt?”

You shook your head, “Not anymore. I’ll be honest with you. I don’t remember much. I blacked out.” You took a moment before continuing, “I ejected to late. It’s my own fault but they were going to kill him. I should’ve pulled the handle sooner. I don’t know what happened. I was too close to the ground…” You paused not really wanting to think too much into it, “I think the cockpit cut me on the way out. I was spinning out. I don’t remember. It just hurt.” You blinked back a few tears that flooded your eyes just thinking about it. You were not okay. You weren’t a crier in the first place, so this was odd for you. Sitting back up you used the back of your hand to wipe away the few that fell. Fuck.

He placed a gentle hand on your shoulder giving it a comforting squeeze, “Hey, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. But I just want you to know that I think you’re insanely strong for being able to fly the way you do after going through that. I don’t think I could.”

Wiping away the remaining tears you shook your head, “Bull. You’d be right back up in the air. You’re too much like me. Can’t let it go. Not yet anyway.”

The two of you were so immersed in the conversation both of you missed Mav calling you back into the huddle. Your eyes were trained on him as his eyes were on you. It was only Jax’s whistle that tore you from the gaze.

“Come on.” He gave you a hand once he stood up, “Better go join the group or we’ll get another ass chewing from Mav.”

Placing your hand in his felt so right, so natural, “I’d rather not go through that again.” He pulled you up. Walking back over he broke towards his squad as you nestled yourself in between Berlin and Jax.

“I don’t like the way he keeps looking at you Dory.” Jax spoke far too loudly. Berlin, Cairo, and a few others snickered knowing exactly what he was talking about.

“Shut up Jax.” Giving him the look your turned your attention back towards Mav.

Berlin decided he wanted in on the conversation, “Were you not just complaining about him, oh I don’t know… yesterday?”

You punched his arm playfully, “Yeah, so?”

“It means we don’t like the way he’s looking at you.” Cairo chimed in from in front of you.

Raising your eyebrows, you looked at them all skeptically, “You’re all so nosy.”

“And I don’t like the way you’re looking at him!” Jax gave you a wide-eyed look like you’d failed to tell him something.

“Shut up.” You pushed him.

“Oh? Does Y/N have a crush?” Berlin quipped earning the laughs of everyone around you both. Including some of the Dagger Squad.

Rolling your eyes, you resigned to flipping him off instead not daring to disagree.

“Well boys we lost her. She’s not fighting back.” Jax started cracking up.

“If it’s any consolation, he won’t shut up about you. Pretty sure he feels the same way.” Rooster leaned in smirking with that damn mustache on his face.

You put your hand over your face avoiding everybody’s gaze. The random burst of Oh’s made Jake turn towards the group you were by with that same genuine smile. You’d deal with all the teasing in the world if it meant you got to see that smile again.

“Y/N! Wait up!” Jake’s voice broke your stride as you turned towards him.

Jax continued walking not waiting up on you, “Be good Y/N.” He snickered as he walked back towards his car.

“Let me give you a ride back to base?” He was practically begging for some more time alone with you. No matter how short of a ride it was.

“Sure.” You followed him to his truck. Jake being the newfound gentleman he really was rushed over to open the door and close it for you.

“Thank you.” You couldn’t help but to smile up at him as he slid into his seat.

Nodding his head he turned the key, “Anytime sweetheart. Really. Anytime.”

He pulled out driving back to base, “I heard what your friends said earlier.”

“You did?” The blush that coated your cheeks was probably immaculate. He was so forward with everything it made you want to scream. He put you right on the spot with that one. You’d normally dance around the emotions rather than full on confront them.

“Mhmm. I might have a crush on you too.” He said so nonchalantly it made you double take.

“Really?” You were sure your voice was three octaves higher as your eyes widened in realization. How could he be so cool about it?

He nodded taking his eyes off the road for just a second to reassure you, “What’s not to love? Beautiful, kind, tough, smart as hell, the whole package.”

“Wow. Are you sure?” You didn’t know

He chuckled taking your hand in his, “I’m so positive about this. I know we’re stationed across the country, but we can figure it out. Moves can be made. Promotions can be had. I want to try this with you. If you’d let me?”

The smile that burst onto your face felt incredible, “Hell yeah. Let’s do it.” You answered before you could really process it. But your brain knew before you did because you were thrilled.

He squeezed your hand tight as he parked the truck. Seemingly the last group to make it back. Surely the rest of the squadron was waiting on the two of you, “Yeah?”

You nodded looking so happily up at him, “Yes! Yeah, who knows what’ll happen? Plus, you know I have a whole squadron ready to hunt you down if you fuck it up.”

“Trust me, I’m not messing this one up.”

Taglist: @dempy @djs8891 @senjoritanana @thataviationlovingchick @alldaysdreamers @krismdavis @fangirlvibez @shelbycillian @trolostodos @iprettymuchsimpforeveryone @queerqueenlynn @peacelilyplants @hellobroadwaydreamer @themusicalweirdo

[jade-green-butterfly]

Here is Amalthea for @x-elyssa-x's Night Club/ 'Neon Moon' AU🌌🌃 I drew my trollsona for it a while back, and Ely and I thought it would be a good idea to bring Ama onto the scene~🌟😁 So here, Amalthea works in a popular boutique in Troll City. She moved there and settled in within five months, wanting to experience life outside of her own city, yet still has the comfort of home within her new bungalow. However, crisis hit her city when she was in her 20's and with no other option (with jobs scarce at the time) she went into rather risky business to help support her family... Despite this, Amalthea reminded ever gentle, hopeful and kind~💖Rising above the crisis with her city as she grew, she managed to turn her life around, loving her new job and home whilst finding enjoyment of performing at karaoke bars. However, a performance of hers, one faithful evening will spark captivation and great enchantment for one certain troll during an awkward family reunion - John Dory~💚💘

Hope you all like, I had fun drawing Amalthea again!😊💕Especially for Ely's dramatic yet exciting AU, enjoy~✌🏻😉✨xoxo.

*~Reblogs are also deeply appreciated as well, so please do reblog as well as like! Thank-you kindly!~*

Space Trolls & 'Neon Moon' AU (c) @x-elyssa-x~💜 Amalthea (c) @jade-green-butterfly (Me~!) DreamWorks Trolls (c) DreamWorks Animation

[musical-chick-13]

Sometimes I think about how people claim to want Morally Gray or Reprehensible Female Characters, (and, inevitably, the memes of "you couldn't even handle [x character]"), but...

I'm genuinely not sure most audiences could handle Dory Sief. She doesn't have a tragic backstory. Her goals, even the self-proclaimed altruistic ones, aren't about bettering the lives of those around her or For The Greater Good--they're about giving herself a sense of personal identity no matter the cost. With the exception of what happens to her in season 4, she brings...just about everything on herself. It's a comparatively rare occasion when she even feels guilty about the things she does, and she straight-up convinces herself that she wasn't at all responsible for the first and most narratively-significant Immoral Act.

She's selfish. She loves her friends, but not quite as much as she loves believing she's an Important Person with a Grander Purpose. She has several opportunities to try and better herself (and even shows a potential desire to sometimes), but at every single turn she actively chooses to be worse. She's still complex, she still feels like a real person--as does everyone on this show--but she's not meant to be a sympathetic or Super-Relatable Character™. She just...is.

And even more than the wacky plots or funny jokes or seasonal genre shifts or the excellent cast, I think this is ultimately what makes the show so fresh, entertaining, and...honestly special. Plenty of creators are...almost afraid to make their women truly messy. To unapologetically say, "No, this woman is not a good person," especially when that woman is a WOC. But this isn't a commentary on women in general being deceitful and evil, nor is it positing that people of color are uniquely dangerous. The people who made this show simply wanted to tell a story about someone who turns into a highly objectionable woman, and they actually stuck to it.

I've billed this as Everyone Gets Worse: The Show, but that's not just there for the sake of shocking the audience or because the creators ran out of ideas or don't understand what subversive stories are. The "getting worse" is an intentional choice. And the writers are well-aware that none of these people are good, and there's no attempt at telling the audience they are. We are asked simply to be entertained by the increasingly deranged misadventures these characters find themselves in. Which the show does deliver on quite well because even if these people suck as people, they are clearly still people. They have complexity, they have ugly and human emotions, they handle things poorly and immaturely, yes in a broader sense, but on a smaller interpersonal scale, too. None of them really know who they are or what they want. And all of this makes them still, in a show that goes progressively off-the-rails, incredibly human. Because even if the way their flaws manifests on a wider narrative scale isn't anything the audience will ever experience, we all know people who have those flaws.

I think also one of the great things about this show is that it very easily could have made Dory the Sole Bad Person In It. To do what so many other stories do and write her off as "the manipulative bitch." But her friends go along with her willingly. They commit and cover up crimes, they refuse to take responsibility for their actions, and while they place the blame on Dory's unscrupulous behavior by framing her as a uniquely bad influence, the show itself never does. They choose to keep coming back to her, to follow her lead, even though she is very much not forcing them to. And in most other shows, Drew would be written and/or presented as a completely innocent party, victim to Dory's Corruptive Woman Wiles. In this one he kids himself into believing that, even though the choices he makes tell us otherwise. This hypocrisy is the point, flipping the script on so many stories about one-dimensionally evil Femme Fatales; on so many fictional narratives that misogynistically put every single bit of culpability on the women, regardless of whether that even matches up with what we see on-screen or on-page.

I just see how many people do exactly that--hold female characters to a higher standard than their male (usually white) counterparts, blame them for everything even events they had little to no hand in. And I think of Dory and how so many people would probably react to her despite the quality and cleverness and complexity of her writing.

Which only makes me want more characters like her. And more shows like this one.

[box-yippee]

Old Chords and New Beginnings

John Dory x Male reader!!

John Dory stood at the doorstep, his hand hovering inches from the wooden surface. The weight of twenty years sat heavily on his shoulders, and not even the reunion of BroZone—or the mission to save Floyd—could overshadow what he was about to do. This wasn’t about the band. This wasn’t about his brothers. This was about him, and the person he left behind.

Behind him, Branch, Clay, Spruce, and even Viva and Poppy watched with varying degrees of confusion and curiosity. None of them knew what John Dory was up to. Why had he dragged them all to this quiet, picturesque little house in the woods?

John Dory drew a shaky breath and raised his hand to knock, but before he could, he froze.

“John?”

The sound of the familiar voice behind him sent a shiver down his spine. Slowly, he turned.

There you stood, your arms full of groceries, but your eyes wide with shock. The bags slipped from your grasp, cans and vegetables scattering across the ground. You didn’t even seem to notice.

“(Y/N)…” John Dory’s voice cracked, a mix of guilt and longing flooding his chest.

Before he could stammer out an apology, you surged forward, wrapping your arms tightly around him. John Dory stumbled back a step but quickly recovered, his arms instinctively circling your waist.

“I—I’m so sorry,” John Dory murmured, his words muffled against your shoulder.

“You idiot,” you whispered, your voice trembling, “why didn’t you come back sooner?”

John Dory pulled back just enough to look at you, his bright blue eyes swimming with regret. “I thought… I thought you’d hate me. After everything I did, after leaving like that—”

“Of course I was mad,” you interrupted, your voice firm but gentle. “But I never hated you, John.”

“Uh… so, what’s happening here?” Viva’s voice cut through the moment, and you both turned to see the group awkwardly huddled near the porch, clearly unsure whether to intervene or give you space.

John Dory sighed, releasing you but keeping a hand on your shoulder. “Right. Guess I owe everyone an explanation.”

You nodded, gesturing for everyone to come inside. The living room was cozy, filled with small mementos of your life—photos, trinkets, and a guitar resting in the corner that John Dory immediately recognized. He winced at the sight of it.

Once everyone was settled, John Dory glanced at you, then at his brothers. “Okay… so, uh, I should probably start with this. (Y/N) and I… we were together. Back when BroZone was still a thing.”

Branch’s jaw dropped. “Wait, what?”

“You had a boyfriend?!” Poppy blurted out, her eyes wide with surprise.

“Yeah, yeah,” John Dory muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “It was a long time ago. But when everything with BroZone fell apart… I left. I left the band, I left home, and… I left him.” He glanced at you, guilt etched into his features. “And that was the worst mistake of my life.”

“You’re damn right it was,” you said, crossing your arms, though there was no malice in your voice. “But… you’re here now. That’s what matters.”

Clay raised an eyebrow. “So, wait. This whole stop wasn’t just to visit some old friend. You wanted to fix things with him.”

“Yeah,” John Dory admitted. “I didn’t think I’d get the chance to, but after everything with Floyd, I realized… I couldn’t let this go unresolved.”

The room fell quiet for a moment before Viva spoke up. “Okay, I gotta say, this is actually kind of sweet. Messy, but sweet.”

Poppy grinned. “Right? It’s like a rom-com, but with trolls!”

You and John Dory exchanged a glance, and for the first time in years, he saw a glimmer of the warmth and affection he remembered so vividly.

“So… are you staying this time?” you asked softly.

John Dory took your hand, his grip firm but tender. “If you’ll have me.”

You smiled, the years of hurt and longing beginning to fade. “I never stopped.”

The others collectively sighed in relief—Branch rolling his eyes but smiling nonetheless—and the group settled in, ready to hear more about your history together.

For the first time in decades, John Dory felt like he was exactly where he was meant to be.

[heartgumz]

txt x brozone collab is real!!!!!

happy birthday soobie woobie ily i drew u with DA GOAT john dory 🙌🙏

[saintgoths]

ᴄᴀᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀᴛ

DEALER!ELLIE X READER - CAT IN THE HAT. [COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY AU].

[PART TWO TO THE CATWOMAN SERIES.]

WORD COUNT - 2,594.

RATING - G+. [fluff].

SUMMARY - after weeks of being upset that you hadn’t visited her since the night you shared together, you finally invite ellie to coffee which ends in throat blocking exposé.

if this reaches more than 75 notes maybe i'll do a part 3?? feedback, liking and reblogging would be appreciated!

if you want to join a the last of us discord/joel miller discord here you go! 𓆩♡𓆪

Ellie had always wanted to deny the claims of her hooking behaviour but when she had noticed she had counted how long it had been since her last encounter with you, she shamefully came to terms with her obsessive ways. It had been at least two weeks since you had left her dorm room and she had not seen you ever since, if she were being truthful, it actually pissed her off in relations to you not attempting to seek her out, and it made Ellie even more annoyed she couldn’t do anything because she didn’t know of your whereabouts and didn’t even have your contacts.

Within those two weeks, Ellie had tried to find you in the fashion area but you were no-where to be seen, aside from you going M.I.A, her already weak connection with Doris had become more strained, Ellie had been attacked with Doris’ numerous questionings of, ‘how comes you don’t want anyone to know?’

‘How comes you want to keep someone like [Y/N], a secret?’

‘Does she want to keep you a secret? Is she ashamed of you?’

Ellie wasn’t a religious person, but she had speculated that if there was anyone up there, she’d wonder why they would pair her with someone like Doris as a roommate.

Currently, Ellie had been in the canteen with Dina who had noticed that her best mate was off, it was easy to tell when the auburn-haired girl was upset, she’d become weirdly silent and shrink into her body. Dina had tried to get out information from Ellie but all Ellie would do was wave her hand and shrug it off, Dina was one of the people Ellie would tell information to, but Dina had warned Ellie to not do anything with you, so the freckled-girl wasn’t in the mood to hear a bunch of ‘I told you so’s,’ from her friend.

The Williams girl also had the missing piece of your Halloween outfit in her bag, it was the Cat hat mask that completed your attire, how that mask added the air of mystery to you, you had looked amazing with it on, but, the second you had taken the piece of fabric off your face, it had made Ellie feel like a gust of wind had punched her in the face, you were radiant and foxy, and just the look of you had made Ellie feel ways she hadn’t before; Ellie had kept your mask in her bag in wishes to give it to you if she had ran into you again.

Mayhap Dina was right when she said Ellie could get obsessed quickly, she was like that with Cat, but Ellie had promised herself that you were just different. “Promise you won’t judge me,” Ellie finally drew in, her green eyes filled with guilt as she watched Dina squint her eyes, suspicious.

“I promise.”

“I slept with [Y/N].”

Silence.

Ellie could feel a lump in her throat form, the way Dina shook her head, balked at how Ellie so easily fell into your trap. “You’re judging,” Ellie dolefully muttered, she had pushed herself to be dramatic with how morose she was but what was killing Ellie more was that Dina was right.

“I actually like the fact that you were able to have a one-night stand with [Y/N] du Armani, proud even, but it sounds like you caught feelings for someone who’s harder to pin down than a handful of air,” Dina then sat up on her seat and placed her hand on Ellie’s left shoulder, who continued to pout like a spoilt nine-year-old.

Embarrassed, Ellie followed Dina suit and sat up on her seat, she had contemplated on how different things would have been if Doris hadn’t come in, would you have still left without giving Ellie any contact details? Would you have been someone to hang around with Ellie?

However, with what Dina had told Ellie in the Halloween party it seems like you wouldn’t have done any of the ideas Ellie shamelessly created in her head.

You had stood outside of Ellie’s music class the moment there was five minutes left till lunch, you had been off campus for a couple of weeks and had been given private sessions in your family’s manor to make up for the time you weren’t in university. There were moments when you’d want to leave the campus and have private classes at home, and every other time it was one of your parents urging you to come back to your domestic environment due to the family issues that had to be handled with you back within the nest.

Ellie didn’t know what to say the moment she had bumped into you, distinctly the auburn-haired girl was dismayed at the sight of you but there was a sparkling emotion in her that had made Ellie feel content to see you. However, she had to get over herself, aside from the fact that she didn’t know what to say, there was also a big smile on your face that translated to: ‘I hope you’re happy to see me.’

“Hi Ellie,” you kindly greeted and you had hoped that Ellie would share the same energy as you but she had not moved an inch, instead she had appointed a bitter look towards you that had quickly commenced you to drop your smile.

“You don’t try to reach out for me in two weeks and then randomly appear outside of my class room?” She had appeared annoyed, because truthfully, she was, she was one of the first people to exit her class and the next students who had followed after would briskly glance towards the two girls to view why Ellie had been speaking to a du Armani, chiefly because you weren’t a student other pupils would easily stumble into.

“Well, I didn’t have your contacts,” you explained.

“You didn’t even ask for it.”

“Well, I couldn’t because we were interrupted by a certain someone,” you plainly joked in hopes to push a laughter out of the Williams girl but all she did was stare back at you leaving you in an embarrassed position.

Your hands were wrapped around the straps of your backpack and your bottom lip was tucked behind your teeth, your charms normally worked on people but you have comprehended that Ellie was really upset, until a genuine smile was plastered on her face, she had tried to hide her laughter but the embarrassed look that was written all over your frame was the cherry on top for her.

“I’m still mad that it took you so long,” Ellie expressed.

“I had some business to handle,” you answered.

“What business?”

Silent, you had remained; and Ellie understood that you weren’t on the path to tell her the business, howbeit, right now, she couldn’t complain, at least you were here, so she pulled off her backpack and steadied it on her chest as she tasked herself to take out an object, the cat hat you had forgotten when you were caught by Doris. You were yet to thank Ellie for the numerous of pre-rolled blunts she had made for you but the fact that she had kept a piece of your Halloween outfit had overtaken your previous thought.

“You are such a doll,” you annoyingly teased while Ellie handed you the hat, dramatically ashamed, she had looked away from you just as her best friend Dina walked into the exchange, her eyes automatically recognising the woman who had stood opposite her red-headed friend.

Dina had watched the way you put the headpiece into your bag and glanced at Ellie with a knowing look on her face. Silent, Ellie scratched the back of her head, silently praying Dina wouldn’t speak a word about the moment in the cafeteria.

“So, you’ve finally came to see Ellie,” Dina lightly joked, but you weren’t dumb, you could tell her small humour was laced with judge but to Dina’s aegis, she was being protective over her friend and making sure her friend wouldn’t be used by a serial player.

Awkwardly, you appointed a smile towards the brown-haired girl, you had returned the straps of your backpack back to your shoulders and briskly moved your eyes towards Ellie who had silently died in her mind. “Well, it’s not like I didn’t want to see Ellie,” you dryly muttered, your eyes examining Dina before returning your orbs to Ellie who gracelessly stood in one position.

“Okay, so what took you so long?” Dina retorted.

“I was busy,” you answered hastily, evidently bothered, the current pressure was strained and intense, Dina had then motioned her body to face Ellie who was unsure of what to say or do. You had then had the idea to grab Ellie’s hand to direct her down the corridor, “let’s go grab lunch.”

“Sure,” she had quickly agreed, Ellie had then internally slapped herself for giving up on Dina so quickly. However, apologetic, Ellie glanced towards Dina who had just stood there dazed, to what had just happened. “I’ll speak to you later, Dina,” Ellie bid her best friend a goodbye ere returning to walking by your side.

It had been a long time since Ellie had been truthfully beguiled in a conversation, candidly, mayhap the last time she had been smitten was the previous time she had conversed with you. However, within this repartee the both of you had not been intoxicated by drugs but by the hot coffee Ellie had bought the both of you, you had observed how much of a gentlewoman she could be, she did not have the expansive and optimistic charisma you had usually seen in other people but a more subtle and awkward one.

You had found it cute, with the way she would go on about her habits and interests, aside from smoking, Ellie liked dinosaurs, planets, hiking, and playing the guitar. You were small in your communicative exchanges but you had liked listening to Ellie ramble on about her likes, she had even informed you about how she had wanted to become an Astronaut and how her adoptive father liked coffee as much as you did, or even more.

The both of you had shifted into the conversation of her project she had for her music exam, she had been practising a song from a band called Mazzy Star and had been committed to the song Fade into You, you had heard of the band but hadn’t listened to them before, yet, because of Ellie, you would give yourself homework to listen to a bunch of their music. You had liked the way she was to a high degree passionate about what she was doing for her assessment, you had sat back to your chair and observed the way she would animatedly move her hands whenever she spoke about how much she found her teacher annoying, “the way you go on about this makes me want to meet your teacher myself,” you timidly joked which had commenced Ellie to dramatically roll her eyes and fiercely slump her back against her seat.

“Never,” she gravely muttered ere she gently punt your foot in hopes for a response, yet only getting an reticent silent response; you had tucked the bottom of your lips behind your teeth, nourished, you had briskly figured out that Ellie loved attention, no matter how demure she could be about it, the auburn haired girl would do specific things to regain your assiduity. There had also been students who had attended the same university you and Ellie been in enter the coffee shop, sharing looks at each other before proceeding with their conversations.

Ellie had slowly become used to the looks herds of students would assign the two of you, aside from you being a player who was acclaimed for ghosting every person you had slept with, you were also a part of a socialite family, the du Aramanis, who had been notable for generously donating and sponsoring the university you had all attended. So being known for belonging to a significant family and being acclaimed for being a cheat, it had raised eyebrows when other pupils spotted you and Ellie together.

Ellie had slowly lifted herself from the chair she had previously sat on, she excused herself to go use the toilets, but before she had left you alone, she had made you promise to explain what you were doing for your fashion class, as she believed that she had used most of the lunch time to talk about herself and her interests, Ellie had felt selfish and feared that she was boring you.

You had reassured her that everything was fine and that you had felt quite the opposite of what she had speculated, patient, you had watched Ellie’s figure become smaller as she made way to the toilets, during your wait, you had ordered a second round of coffee to distract yourself from the brief period of Ellie leaving you. The staff were quick to make your coffee and you had politely thanked them for their efforts, you gladly tipped them and assumed that they were working just as hard as they were now because they knew how much money you had.

Besides from the staff’s skilled behaviour, you had felt the increase of looks directed towards you, normally, they wouldn’t have bothered you considering you grew up with people always watching you and sending you looks, still, this felt different, when you had caught a couple of students gazing at you and hastily returning to look at each other with shocked but humoured asseveration, you had furrowed your eyebrows, curious, you were sure that you being around Ellie couldn’t have caused this much of a reaction from people, nevertheless, you had returned your gaze to the table you had your lower body tucked beneath, your patience now thinning as you had quietly urged Ellie to come back so the both of you could leave.

Ellie who had finished using the toilets had currently had her hands under the warm temperature water leaking from the taps, her phone that had rested in her back left pocket had alarmingly buzzed numerous of times to the point Ellie did not have the time to dry her hands so she could use her phone. With her hands heavily damped, Ellie slid her device out of her pocket to check who had furiously portended her.

As her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the smart object, Dina’s name flashed repeatedly on her screen, every second a ping had rung to indicate that Dina was the one who had crazily sent her messages. Ellie who assumed Dina might’ve been harassing Ellie’s iMessages app due to the way she had left her in the university corridors and Ellie had noiselessly agreed that she’d have to apologise to her best friend with the way she had left her alone to be with someone else.

Yet, her assumptions were immediately crushed the moment she had read what Dina had sent her. “Fuck,” Ellie intensely muttered.

Ellie couldn’t identify what she had currently felt; was it distress, fear or embarrassment? Ellie had always known that being around you would cause some things to happen but Ellie didn’t know it would’ve been so quick, as she had quickly re-read the messages of Dina informing her that there were explicit pictures that involved you and Ellie being shared around the campus, Ellie had now understood what the shared looks from the dozens of students that had entered the café meant.

if you want to join a the last of us discord/joel miller discord here you go! 𓆩♡𓆪

chapter one

feedback would be appreciated!

masterlist

♆

[masivechaos]

hi congrats!!

can u please do a i’ll try everything once with steven meeks and the song “gorgeous” by taylor swift?

please and tysm!!

Gorgeous ✧˖*°࿐ steven meeks x gn! reader

Warning/content: kissing ig?, my English

w/c: 0.360k

masterlist/ dead poets society masterlist / navigation / taglist 

“I hate you,” you mumbled.

Meeks looked at you, lifting his head that was resting on his desk over his crossed arms. If it was anyone else who would have told him this, he would be offended, but since it was you, he was actually amused. “Why?” you hated the way his smile was so precious and warm.

You groaned, letting your forehead fall on the desk next to Meeks’ hand. You raised your eyes to look at his stupid pretty face “Because look at your face.”

Meeks arched his eyebrow “What about my face?” you let out a long breath, bringing your face in front of his, observing every single detail, every single freckle.

“You’re gorgeous. And I hate it” Meeks let out a laugh, he was used to your behaviour. It was a little hard for you to accept your feelings and your emotions and the solution you found was being- sort of- aggressive.

Because it’s true, at first you hated liking Steven, hated liking his red curls, hated liking the smile he gave you. You hated your heart had decided to start beating faster every time you saw him. And one day, you found a solution to make his stupid smile disappear: kissing his lips.

Meeks drew a hand to your face, stroking your cheek slowly “Well thank you, I guess,” he said, his eyes never leaving yours. You furrowed your brows, a fake pout finding your lips. It was better than admitting that your stomach was doing loops inside your body just by the contact of his skin on yours.

“You’re gorgeous too,” Steven said, cheeks high as his smile widened. You heard him chuckle when you hid your face, feeling heat creeping up your cheeks.

“Stop that!” 

“What?”

“Being so nice,” you groaned.

Slowly, he attached his lips to your forehead “How could I? You’re too pretty for me to be mean”

You lifted your head before linking your arms around Meeks’ neck. “I hate you,” you said before joining both of your mouths into a kiss. When you pulled away, you wanted to smile at the way his glasses were resting askew on his nose.

“I love you too.”

⋆ ★ steven meeks taglist: @moonlitmeeks @toindeedbeag0d @juneberrie @goodoldfashionedluvergirl @spookydarkwitch @duxpuella @imshiningjustforyou @kieracassette @vancitycharlie @oncasette @dori-and-gray @maddipoof